Fig. 64.—Neck Ring found at Skaill (5¼ inches diameter).
There are two of the arm rings which are of the same construction as the neck rings. Both are closed rings, though both are treated with respect to their ornament as if they were penannular. One is formed of a series of thick strands and finer wires, spirally intertwisted. The other (Fig. [65]) is of more elegant design. It is 3¼ inches in its inner diameter, and is formed of four sets of two strands of wire, each set being separately twisted, and the four double twists intertwisted spirally. The strands decrease in thickness from the middle of the armlet towards the ends, where they are soldered to a bar, formed into the semblance of two animal’s heads, grasping in their mouths the part which forms the junction between the penannular ends of the ring.
Fig. 65.—Armlet of Silver found at Skaill (3¼ inches diameter).
Fig. 66.—Armlet of Silver found at Skaill (3¼ inches diameter).
Besides these neck rings and armlets formed of intertwisted rods and wires, there were in the hoard twenty-five solid penannular rings of silver, bent to an elongated oval, and tapering slightly towards the extremities. They vary in size from 2½ to 3¼ inches in the long diameter, and are thus of a size sufficient to enclose the wrist. They are either quadrangular or circular in section, and, except in one instance, they bear no ornament whatever. The solitary exception (Fig. [66]) is ornamented by a series of triangular markings impressed by a punch, having three dots in the field. Another armlet of a different form (Fig. [67]) is a flat thin band of silver, wider in the middle than towards the ends, and terminating in a hook at one extremity, the other being broken. This example is the only one of its kind in the hoard. It is also ornamented with a double row of impressed triangles, having two dots in the field.
Fig. 67.—Flat Arm Band found at Skaill (2¾ inches diameter).