I bought these hoops in 2003 in the fascinating and mysterious Isle of Man. The Isle of Man is a tiny country in the North Sea between Liverpool, on the northwestern coast of the UK, and Northern Ireland.
It's only about 25 miles by 7, but it has its own laws, money, parliament and language. Officially, it's a Crown Dependency - so it is reliant on the UK for defence only, and the Queen is Lord of Mann. Double "nn" there is deliberate - the island's name comes from the Sea God, Manannan.
My company had a contract with the IoM government, so I used to go there a lot...it's a wealthy tax haven, and we were very well-fed - good times...Oh yes...! Fortunately, there was at least one upscale jeweller, Charles Alexander, where I bought these hoops, and also a ruby and diamond ring that I'll post soon.
The Isle of Man is extremely ancient and mystical - it's steeped in legend, and it was Celtic until the Vikings invaded, mixed with the Celts, and brought their Norse stories and culture with them to stay. On the Isle of Man, it's bad luck to leave a room by the same door you entered, unless you've eaten there. Otherwise, you leave your soul behind. It's also bad luck to say "rat" - must call them "longtails." There is a bridge called Fairy Bridge, and when you go over it you must say "Hello little people" - NOT "fairies", otherwise they get offended. There is a tree by the bridge, covered in notes that people have stuck there asking the fairies to help them. Some are sad, like asking for help with a cancer diagnosis. Many Manx have stories about when they failed to say hello to the little people, and their car broke down up the road, etc!
Its strong Celtic identity means that it contains an absolute smorgasbord of Celtic-style jewellery!
The parliament, Tynwald, is the oldest continuous parliament in the world, dating back well over a thousand years. The members of Tynwald are called the Keys, and they sit in the House of Keys, just as they did over a thousand years ago.
But the island also has a modern side: it has a slick Film Commission, which offers incentives to film-makers. It has a fantastic modern stage studio. Many Hollywood films have been partially shot there, including The Libertine with Johnny Depp, Madonna has shot there, and Jude Law, and Patrick Swayze - and others which I can't think of now.
The Isle of Man is famous worldwide for the TT races - an extremely fast motorcycle race which takes in a sweeping mountain course. At least two people die on the course each year, leading to debate about whether the TT should be cancelled or not. To give you an idea of the speed, the course is 37 miles long, and the year I went to watch the TT, the winner did it in 17 minutes. That's sweeping round hairpin mountain bends. Oh yes - the island has NO speed limit, at any time of year. And the day after the TT is designated as Mad Sunday, when the road is deemed to be one-way only, so anyone can tear round the course.
Sorry for going on about the island, but it's a fascinating place and these hoops remind me of my time there, and the period I worked for them, which spanned almost five years.
It's only about 25 miles by 7, but it has its own laws, money, parliament and language. Officially, it's a Crown Dependency - so it is reliant on the UK for defence only, and the Queen is Lord of Mann. Double "nn" there is deliberate - the island's name comes from the Sea God, Manannan.
My company had a contract with the IoM government, so I used to go there a lot...it's a wealthy tax haven, and we were very well-fed - good times...Oh yes...! Fortunately, there was at least one upscale jeweller, Charles Alexander, where I bought these hoops, and also a ruby and diamond ring that I'll post soon.
The Isle of Man is extremely ancient and mystical - it's steeped in legend, and it was Celtic until the Vikings invaded, mixed with the Celts, and brought their Norse stories and culture with them to stay. On the Isle of Man, it's bad luck to leave a room by the same door you entered, unless you've eaten there. Otherwise, you leave your soul behind. It's also bad luck to say "rat" - must call them "longtails." There is a bridge called Fairy Bridge, and when you go over it you must say "Hello little people" - NOT "fairies", otherwise they get offended. There is a tree by the bridge, covered in notes that people have stuck there asking the fairies to help them. Some are sad, like asking for help with a cancer diagnosis. Many Manx have stories about when they failed to say hello to the little people, and their car broke down up the road, etc!
Its strong Celtic identity means that it contains an absolute smorgasbord of Celtic-style jewellery!
The parliament, Tynwald, is the oldest continuous parliament in the world, dating back well over a thousand years. The members of Tynwald are called the Keys, and they sit in the House of Keys, just as they did over a thousand years ago.
But the island also has a modern side: it has a slick Film Commission, which offers incentives to film-makers. It has a fantastic modern stage studio. Many Hollywood films have been partially shot there, including The Libertine with Johnny Depp, Madonna has shot there, and Jude Law, and Patrick Swayze - and others which I can't think of now.
The Isle of Man is famous worldwide for the TT races - an extremely fast motorcycle race which takes in a sweeping mountain course. At least two people die on the course each year, leading to debate about whether the TT should be cancelled or not. To give you an idea of the speed, the course is 37 miles long, and the year I went to watch the TT, the winner did it in 17 minutes. That's sweeping round hairpin mountain bends. Oh yes - the island has NO speed limit, at any time of year. And the day after the TT is designated as Mad Sunday, when the road is deemed to be one-way only, so anyone can tear round the course.
Sorry for going on about the island, but it's a fascinating place and these hoops remind me of my time there, and the period I worked for them, which spanned almost five years.
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