The Trumpington Pins - Pair with chain

The Trumpington cloisonné pins with connecting chain. 

A pair of early medieval cloisonné pins with a chain, modeled true-to-detail on the historical Anglo-Saxon Trumpington pins.

The Trumpington pins are a pair of early medieval gold pins with garnet inlays dating from the 7th century. They were discovered together with a gold cross in the grave of a young Anglo-Saxon noblewoman in Trumpington, near Cambridge (UK). 

The original brooches are on display at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University of Cambridge (UK).
Link to the original Trumpington pins...

The Trumpington pins were probably used to fasten a veil or a fine garment. The pins were connected by a short gold chain and, due to the precious material, indicate the aristocratic or royal status of the deceased. 

The original Trumpington pins were made of gold and garnet with a gold chain, while the replicas are made of bronze or genuine silver-plated with a red glass inlay. 

The pins measure 8 x 1.1 cm. On the back are eyelets to which the chain is attached, which measures 13 cm together with the two knotted fastening rings.

The pins are very sharp and glide easily through fabric. They are sturdy enough not to bend during use. 

In the early medieval costume of Anglo-Saxon women, veil and headscarf pins were quite common and have therefore often been preserved in archaeological finds.

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Together with a precious cross made of gold and garnet, the two Trumpington pins were found on a chain on the skeleton of a 14- to 18-year-old Anglo-Saxon woman who had been buried in a bed burial, which is quite rare in England.

The burial of the young noblewoman is one of the earliest documented Christian burials in Great Britain and most likely dates from between 650 and 680 AD. 

Since the first converts to Christianity in Anglo-Saxon England came from noble families and the faith subsequently spread to the rest of the population, the woman buried in Trumpington certainly belonged to the nobility or even the royal family.

Although the woman from Trumpington was buried like a pagan with valuable grave goods, the presence of a precious gold cross clearly shows that she was an early convert to Christianity.

Thus, the Trumpington pins, together with the gold cross, are historical evidence of the early work of the Church in England after St Augustine was sent there by the Pope in 597 AD to convert the still pagan Anglo-Saxon kings.