Apprentices Jak Forester and Dan Cutter, from PM Training, applied the same techniques Saxon metal workers would have used to forge the 3D shapes which make up the design.
The method, known as filigree, involved soldering pieces of galvanised steel onto a base plate.
The piece, which weighs about three quarters of a tonne, was yesterday unveiled at the Phoenix Retail Park in Longton.

It is hoped it will be the first of many public artworks in the city inspired by the Hoard.

Jak, aged 22, from Northwood, said: 

"I feel really proud of it. A lot of hard work and graft has gone into it. We have tried to use the same medieval techniques as they would have used making the Hoard.
We had an A3 picture of the original piece. We then drew a table and scaled it up.
All the pieces have been made by hand and then stuck on the base. It's a simple technique, but it's effective because it is so detailed.
It is a piece of our heritage which I think everyone can relate to."

The original piece is known as the zoomorphic mount, a gold plate, which features a design of two eagles holding a salmon between them.
The Longton replica bears the legend 'Renascor', a Latin word meaning 'I am reborn'.

Dan, aged 19, of Fenton, said: 

"It's been brilliant working on the piece. It's given us an appreciation of the original piece and the skill which must have gone into making it."

Sculptor Andy Edwards, who helped out with the design, said: 

"We chose the location because it is close to Longton High School, which used to have a Phoenix, as a lot of people will remember. The original is steeped in gold and the technique is a form of filigree. They used the same techniques in Saxon times so this piece is an unbroken link to the craftsmen of the past."

Phil Brown, project manager for Hanley-based gallery Artworks, which produced the retail park piece, said: 

"It was nice to do something which was so up to date. Everyone has been talking about the Hoard. It has been a nice piece to work on."

The artwork was funded by developer St Modwen as part of planning approval for the retail park.
The company's development manager Euan Lindsay said: 

"Artworks and PM Training have done work for us before and we wanted to keep it local. It's good to see a couple of apprentices from the area doing the work."

Sentinel Newspaper - 1st November 2012

Zoomorphism is the shaping of something in animal form or terms. Examples include art that creates patterns using animal imagery.

• This zoomorphic mount from the Staffordshire Hoard is a gold plate. It is designed in the form of two style II eagles, facing each other and holding a fish vertically between them.

• It has been badly damaged - one bird was dramatically twisted away, but you can still see traces of its talons on the body of the fish.

ZOOMORPHIC MOUNT 

This mount is inspired by a gold artefact from The Staffordshire Hoard and
depicts two views of a fish eagle holding a salmon. The original piece, badly
damaged when discovered after being buried for around 1400 years was
likely to have been mounted on the shield of an Anglo Saxon warrior.

Pieces from the Hoard have been carefully restored for display to the public.
However, many are so delicate, restoration is not possible, such as the
fish eagle mount which is interpreted here. In enlarging a speculated, unfolded
version of this relic, the mount points to the beautiful art and intricate
metalworking craft of our ancient past. This work also acknowledges our
ancestors' understanding and reverence of nature's interdependent relationships that we take as our inheritance with equal respect and pride.

The inscription "renascor" translates as 'I am born again' and is itself a regeneration of the motto formerly associated with the Longton area including its use along with the phoenix on the crest of Longton High School which once
stood near to this site.

The Old English phrase 'oft on ãdelan searowa licgad' is adapted from The Durham Proverbs and appropriately declares. "Often in dirt lies treasure"

Made by: Artworks :- Phil Brown (Project Manager), Jak Forester and Dan Cutter
Funded / sponsored by: St Modwen
With the grateful support of: PM Training 
Unveiled: 31st October 2012

depiction of the former school building which was situated in Trentham Road  

Longton High School badge of Phoenix with the motto RENASCOR  which translates to 'I am reborn'