Jewellery has literally been made for thousands of years, so the jewellers skills are timeless. Evidence of this can currently be found at the Penlee Gallery in Penzance, which is exhibiting a 3500 year bronze age gold necklet found in Cornwall. Known as the ‘Gwithian Lunula’, it is a flat crescent shaped necklet shaped like the Moon. This delicate flat sheet of gold has a geometric design patterned on the edge, and is in excellent condition considering its age.

How did it manage to look good for so long? The higher the carat gold, the more pure it is. Fine gold is unaffected by air, water, alkalis and most acids, so will still look as bright and shiny as the Lunula, even after 3500 years.