Check out the Winchester hoard... "torcs" (necklaces) and other jewellry.
Look at the intricate work done on them. This was done by someone in the time of Julius Caesar. Iron age. No electricity. No steel tools. No thermostatically controlled furnaces. No modern smelting methods. No springs or gears. All done by hand. Amazing. Total mass: 1160 grams or over 2 pounds of gold!
Those are beautiful peices. They are made in the same method as making chain maile armor, by linking thousands of small rings together in a pattern. I have seen modern versions of this done as copies of the style but like you said, the Norse didn't have any of the modern tools to do this with. The people I know that make these items just go to the hardware store and buy a spool of heavy duty steel or copper wire stock. The skill of the craftsmen of the earlier time periods always amazes me. _________________ SteveAZ
