Top image: 1,000-year-old gold arm ring discovered on the Isle of Man, UK.

In a discovery as dazzling as it is historic, part of a gold arm-ring dating to the Viking Age has been unearthed on the Isle of Man—further illuminating the island’s glittering Norse legacy. Found by veteran metal detectorist Ronald Clucas in spring 2025, the gold fragment has now been officially declared Treasure under the Isle of Man’s Treasure Act 2017.

As described by Manx National Heritage, the find, weighing 27.26g, is a braided piece of high craftsmanship, fashioned from eight strands of gold twisted together—a technique indicating the touch of a highly skilled Norse goldsmith, likely dating between AD 1000–1100.

“It was quite a big shock to discover this lovely piece of gold,” said Clucas, a member of the Manx Detectorist Society. “To find a piece of gold from the Viking Age, that’s really something else.”

This is not Clucas’ first brush with buried Viking riches. Celebrating his golden anniversary (50 years) in the field of metal detecting, he previously discovered a silver ingot and lead ingot in 2005. But this new find shines on another level.

According to Allison Fox, Curator for Archaeology at Manx National Heritage, Viking gold is far rarer than silver, and carried great symbolic and economic value.

“Jewelry items such as this had several functions in the Viking Age—prized possessions, portable wealth, and tools for trade,” Fox explains in the Manx National Heritage report. “This arm-ring has been cut twice, possibly used for at least two separate transactions.”

The cuts, she said, may reflect an ancient dual economy, where bullion and coinage circulated side by side. Such items were not only fashion statements, but fungible wealth.

The finder, detectorist Ronald Clucas, with Allison Fox, Curator for Archaeology at Manx National Heritage showing the priceless item.

A Mysterious Stash

Why it was buried remains a mystery. Was it hidden for safekeeping, accidentally lost, or offered to the Norse gods in an act of devotion? “For reasons we will never know, this fragment of gold arm-ring was buried in the ground until discovered,” said Fox.

The Isle of Man’s Norse legacy runs deep. Vikings arrived in the 9th century, first as traders, later settling and shaping the island’s cultural and political landscape. Their influence still echoes today in the Tynwald, the island’s parliament, one of the oldest continuous governments in the world with roots in Viking governance.

Thanks are extended to experts Dr. Kristin Bornholdt Collins and Professor James Graham-Campbell for consulting on the find. The newly discovered Viking gold will go on display in the Viking Gallery of the Manx Museum in Douglas starting Saturday, 31 May 2025—a fitting tribute to both a storied past and the detectorist who helped bring it to light.

“This discovery is not just a glint of gold,” said Clucas. “It’s a spark of history.”