Gaukler Medieval Wares

07/18/2025

For the first time in many years (not counting the plague years), I won’t be attending Pennsic. Like many other Canadians, I won’t cross the border to the US.
I will miss the event and the people a great deal.

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02/10/2025

An excellent article on the cutting of the garnet in my Colmar Brooch reproduction. https://sites.google.com/view/aurelio-vitrisoni/a-s/lapidary/a-garnet-for-gaukler?fbclid=IwY2xjawIXQOJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHTrR2j7MSKAMMJUw5yK1tdFRuG6iIC6_XySrA8BveR_0qb3nZ6IAZm67CQ_aem_gMCYjO-GGHIBCiROdbXzrA

01/18/2025

I haven’t posted for some time.
In late October, I was struck by a pickup truck while I was in a crosswalk. I wound up with a shattered clavicle, a broken femur, and various scrapes, cuts, and bruises.
I’m mostly recovered, and should be back in my workshop soon.

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09/01/2024

My version of the Colmar Brooch. The Colmar Brooch is an early to mid fourteenth century gem-studded brooch now in the Musee de Cluny. It, like the original, is gold plated silver set with rubies, sapphires, a garnet, and pearls. 4.3cm. The garnet was custom cut to medieval style and standards by AJ Laveer. There aren't many good photos available of the original, but I have the good luck to have a copy of Die Mittlealterlich Judische Kulture in Erfurt, which has excellent drawing of the construction details.

07/01/2024

Many years ago, I came across a 1933 article on Mediaeval Wheel Brooches. Later, I had the opportunity to examine one of the featured brooches in the Cambridge Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. On seeing it, I resolved to make a similar brooch one day. That day has finally come.
My version is a bit larger than the original, and doesn't use any claw settings. Everything else is pretty close- gilded brass, garnets. amethysts, pearls, and green glass.
When I first read about this style of brooch, I expected them to have hinged pins for fasteners. I was quite surprised to discover that the Cambridge example, and another in the Bargello, are actually annular brooches. There is a hinge, but it links the star to the ring! The original is missing the pin, but still has the pivot and catchplate.

06/05/2024

I've just posted some interesting items to https://shop.medievalwares.com/index.php?main_page=products_new including a pair of Anglo-Saxon earrings and a quite rare medieval church censer lid.
I've also recently purchased too many Tudor buttons and medieval keys. If you'd like one or more of these, send me a DM or email. It will save me some work, and you will get a better price.

05/29/2024

I had a request to see gapped wriggle work engraving. The gap is produced by filing or cutting a notch into the tool. If the notch is wide enough, all that’s left of the zigzag line of typical wigglework are small triangles, as you’d see on medieval mirror cases.

04/06/2024

Here is a a scarce bird-headed strapend from my collection. 13-14th century, similar to https://finds.org.uk/database/artefacts/record/id/1046200 . I love odd strapends, and I’ll make some replicas if there is any interest.

04/02/2024

Three things just added to https://shop.medievalwares.com/index.php?main_page=products_new : a medieval ring brooch, a Hiberno-Norse ring-headed pin head, and a very scarce early Anglo-Saxon wrist clasp (last quarter of the fifth century).

01/05/2024

Just posted to http://medievalwares.com/index.php?main_page=products_new&zenid=c9r14sl7srgn0dh7k5rvbb7795 - a nice Norman buckle, a great Merovingian brooch, and an extremely rare Roman-Saxon buckle.

01/04/2024

I've just bought a couple of spindle whorl collections, and will be posting individual whorls soon. The group on the left are Hellenistic stone whorls (though the one above the CM rule may be considerably older), and the group on the right are 16-17th century Dutch.
If you are interested in any of these, send me a message. They will be cheaper if I don't have to post them to my website.

12/09/2023

Now at http://medievalwares.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=65_69_146&products_id=3428&zenid=dp979e59acbi3c24dpc8ph2565 ,
a rare Norse iron ring-headed pin.