Asgard

Made in Scotland Since 2002. Viking, Pictish and Celtic Replicas.

Asgard was founded in 2002 by Jim Glazzard, an archaeology-trained metalsmith who had spent the previous three years working at the Jorvik Viking Centre in York, where he developed a fascination with the Viking-age artefacts unearthed at the dig site. Frustrated by the difficulty of obtaining accurate replicas for his own re-enactment hobby, he taught himself to make them — and quickly found himself bombarded with orders from fellow re-enactors and museum colleagues. The hobby became a business, and the business has moved progressively northward over the years: from Bradford to Wester Ross, then the Isle of Skye, and finally to its current home in Dunoon, Argyll, where Jim and his wife Cat now run the foundry together with a small team of staff.

Every piece is based on a real archaeological find. The Viking range draws on hoards unearthed in York, Denmark, Sweden and the Isle of Man — pewter Thor's hammers, dragon-head pendants, Hiddensee-style ornaments, runic brooches — while the Pictish and Celtic ranges reproduce designs found on Scottish standing stones and silver chains. Pewter is cast on-site in Dunoon; bronze and silver are cast in Birmingham and hand-finished by the Argyll team. The t-shirts are printed in the UK, the staff are paid properly, the business pays UK tax, and there are no offshore accounts. Asgard's pieces are stocked by museums and gift shops worldwide — including the Jorvik Viking Centre where Jim's career began — and the brand has supplied historical jewellery for film and television productions across two decades.

Discover more from our Scottish Makers directory at Sostter, or explore the wider story on heritage craft in our British Makers and Family Run Brands collections.