This is one of Sheila Fleet’s most iconic and classic designs, commonly known as her Runic Iris. The dress necklace features runic text in polished silver, set within a hand-enamelled background of 'Skaill' enamel, and reads ‘Reflecting times past and present’. The circular Runic Iris design is approximately 50mm in diameter and hangs elegantly from a silver wire.
Sheila’s iconic Runic collection was inspired by inscriptions found inside Maeshowe, a Neolithic chambered cairn in Orkney, built around 2800 BC. Sometime around the 12th century, Vikings broke into the tomb and carved runes on the walls—their version of modern-day graffiti. Over thirty inscriptions have survived and represent the largest single collection of such carvings in the world.
