A HOARD of eight gold bracelets, some of them child-size, has been described by an expert as "unique".

The treasure was found during a rally organised by the Forest of Dean Metal Detectorists Club, near Lydney by Steve Moodie from Scotland. He unearthed a curious piece of twisted metal which, when washed and examined by his colleague Lee Todd, turned out to be two tiny bracelets intertwined.

Todd told detectorist magazine The Searcher: "I could see the glint of twisted gold. We checked again, sure enough another signal came through and a second lot of bangles were uncovered, The colour of the gold took our breath away."

Kurt Adams, Finds Liaison Officer for Gloucestershire and Avon followed their find with an emergency excavation - and two more bracelets were found, making a total of eight, comprising two sets of two, and one set of four. The set of four are child-size, measuring just over two inches in diameter.

Mr Adams told the Review: "These are unique - I have never come across anything like them before. They point to a Bronze Age origin, (around 1500-1100 BC), and are very high status burial goods indeed. They may have been to show the wealth and power of a local chieftain: by putting it on their young children.

"They are now in the British Museum and are being studied by expert Neil Watkins. Then they will be assessed under the 1996 Treasure Act, and, once they are qualified as treasure, then a committee will value them."

He added: "Once valued, they could be offered to a local museum, or possibly the British Museum, to keep them in the public domain."

Any proceeds of the sale may have to be shared by the finders and the landowner whose property they were discovered on.

The find has been said to have caused "quite a buzz" in metal detecting circles, which is said to often be the case when gold is involved. It was also reported in many newspapers, including The Times.

•Kurt Adams is Finds Liaison Officer for the Gloucestershire and District Portable Antiquities Scheme, which aims to 'encourage the voluntary recording of archeological objects found by members of the public." He is keen to help anyone who finds objects. He said: "Not just gold objects are of interest to the Scheme, we are also interested in coins, or even carved pieces of stone. They are identified, where possible, and then are recorded and added to the national archive."

Anyone who unearths an item can contact him at kurtadams@bristol. gov.uk, or on 01452 426245.

Details of the Portable Antiquities Scheme is at http://www.finds.org.uk">www.finds.org.uk.