[afraidfortherepublic]

The types of things which turn up on these sites are moulds for making elaborate jewellery and imported wine containers. They made very high quality jewels.'

I wonder where they got the stones and the mountings? Are there deposits (or were there deposits) of precious stones and metals in the British Isles?

The ancient jewelry that I saw in the National Museum in Dublin, Ireland is quite beautiful -- wide gold collars, elaborate "buttons" for cloaks, beautiful bracelets, exquisite hair ornaments, hinges for prayer books -- all in solid gold and dating to shortly after the time of Christ. This stuff turns up in the peat bogs all the time they say.

I wondered if there were gold deposits on the "Green Island" (other than at the end of the rainbows) and if they still exist today. Or did the early Celts engage in trade from other regions in order to secure the precious metal?

[Happygal]

I can't say I'm an authority on this subject, but ther was gold mining in Ireland, and there were quite a few silver mines..some still operative.

[doodad]

Sure, gold and gemstones. The mountains in Scotland and northern Britain are the extension of the Appalachians here in the US from when the two were connected. So, metamorphics and volcanics yielding plenty of goodies.