On the 25th January (2025), a new exhibition opened at Charnwood Museum that invites visitors to explore the meanings, memories and connections behind historic jewellery and the jewellery we treasure today. The ‘My Jewellery, My Story’ exhibition showcases artefacts alongside creative displays and stories from Leicestershire’s communities.
The exhibition was inspired by the discovery of a beautiful Early Bronze Age necklace that was excavated in Cossington, Leicestershire, by University Leicester Archaeological Services (ULAS) in 1999.
Using ULAS’s detailed archaeological illustrations and the careful measurements and recording from Dr. Alison Sheridan, Emma was commissioned to create a 1:1 replica of the Cossington necklace.
“The beads that were found in this necklace really range in size. You could argue that this was a stylistic choice made by the maker, however, it’s the range in the size of the drill holes that suggest to me that this necklace was made from a collection of beads that may have been swapped, gifted, traded or repurposed to make the final assemblage when this necklace was buried. By going through the process of accurately replicating these beads, I learn a lot about the fine details and decisions that were made by prehistoric crafts people and just how skilled they were!” - Emma Jones/AncientCraft.
The development of the exhibition involved lots of community groups working alongside Leicestershire County Council’s Culture Leicestershire team, Charnwood Museum and local creative practitioners. The replica of the Cossington Necklace produced by Emma was used in workshops with communities to inspire them to tell their own jewellery stories.
Em has also produced and filmed a new video highlighting the story of the original necklace that features in the exhibition:
The original Cossington necklace is cared for by Leicestershire County Council Museums and can be seen on display at Charnwood Museum, Loughborough. The ‘My Jewellery, My Story’ exhibition will be open until June 2025 so make sure to visit to see the original necklace on display!
With special thanks to Culture Leicestershire, Leicestershire Museum Collections and Charnwood Museum for funding the production of this video.