Not a Love Knot

One evening last week I was standing at a tram stop chatting to a friend when the necklace around my neck slithered off like a snake. A jump ring had opened, unfastening the two ends. I coolly slipped the beads into my handbag. (I wouldn’t have been so calm if it had actually been a snake, I assure you.)

The repair was the work of a moment, and simply required a pair of jewellery pliers to open and close the jump ring. It was only afterwards that I saw the beads had entangled themselves into a knot. It looked a bit like a Celtic knot, I thought – a love knot perhaps?

A quick Google and I discovered a love knot is a more complicated affair (much like a love triangle). Celtic knots are intricately interwoven braids, and are perceived to be endless, symbolising eternity – hence the connection to lovers.

Celtic love knot ring from Beyond The Rockz on Etsy (sold)Celtic knot ceramic tile

Originally, interwoven patterns appeared in Roman handcrafts and mosaics, and knotted patterns appeared in the third and fourth centuries AD. The art form spread to the Byzantine, Coptic, Islamic and Celtic cultures, but it was the Celts who truly made the style their own. Knots, spirals, braid, step and key patterns took on rich symbolism, representing the seven creations: man, mammal, plant, insect, bird, fish and reptile.

Now here’s an appealing application: gladiator sandals interwoven with Celtic knots cleverly combine the two cultures from which knot patterns originated From North Italy it was a short hop to Southern Gaul. By the seventh century the braided patterns spread to all of Europe – and Ireland, where the broken and reconnected plaits formed the genuine Celtic knot style. Today it is predominantly associated with the Irish, Welsh and Scottish territories.

Not the kind of knot in my necklace however – that was a silly error. Much like some love affairs, on reflection.

Here’s what the necklace is meant to look like.