Silver Cross Jewelry
As the discussion of crosses goes from the beginning to the present you
will see how crosses for Christian use has evolved. You will also see how
silver crosses play a huge role in Christian jewelry. The most popular symbols
used in Christianity are the Christian fish and the cross. Both of these symbols had
non Christian origins prior to their use by Christians.
The New Testament tells how Jesus used the fish
in many sermons and performed many miracles with fish. It became natural
for the fish to represent Christianity. From about 200 to 400 years after
Christ the symbol of the fish was widely used as a Christian symbol. Some stories even mention
that while the Christians were persecuted by the Romans they would use
the fish as a means of determining who was Christian and who was not.
They did this by drawing a half of a fish in the sand with their toe. If the
other person was a Christian they would complete the fish by drawing in
the sand the other half making the full fish symbol.
But from around 400 A.D, the
Cross has become the most popular symbol for Christianity and has been
that way ever since making cross jewelry a very popular sub-genre to
Christian jewelry. |
Celtic
Cross Necklaces |
Fleur de Lis Cross Necklace
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Sterling Silver Cross Necklace |
Cross Necklaces For Men |
Celtic
Cross Pendants |
Cross Charms
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Some articles state that the
Cross sign started to become popular around 200 AD, others indicate it
was around 450 AD when the cross became a symbol for the early Church.
Some ancient texts tell of Christians crossing themselves either on the
forehead or chest.
Most agree that the sign or
symbol of the Cross was looked down upon because of the association of
the cross with torture and death. Over the years this thinking gave way
to the meaning of the cross as Christ's sacrifice, atonement and
overcoming death. As this way of thinking gain popularity the sign of
the fish partially gave way to the sign of the Cross.
Many crosses are a
combination of the traditional meaning of the Cross with various
cultural influences. A good example of this is the Celtic Cross. The
Celtic Cross is essentially a circle at the intersection of the two
straight lines.
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Sterling Silver Cross Rings
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Silver Cross Earrings |
Cross Necklaces For Men |
The very early Christian
movement used the Greek and Latin crosses. The Greek cross is two
intersecting lines of equal length. The Latin cross consists of two
intersecting lines where the vertical line is longer than the horizontal
line. Most cross
jewelry designs are spin off's from these two styles. As the development of
Christian Churches grew they added their own styles and embellishments
to represent the differences in their Christian faith. Some cross styles
reflect the development of their artistic evolution. Some cross patterns
were modified through the field of heraldry.
Sterling silver crosses are
used in many different types of Cross jewelry like:
All of this history is
important to understand in relationship to jewelry because cultures and
Churches would make crosses for jewelry (primarily pendants for
necklaces and rings) based on the style of Cross they were exposed to.
As the evolution of different Christian faiths have grown so have the
numerous styles of Crosses seen in jewelry. |
Cross Necklaces For Women |
Cross
Pendants |
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Christian Crosses and Their Meaning
As peoples taste in jewelry
and symbolism change and their understanding of history improves, the
religious jewelry industry has seen an increase in the "Christian Fish"
thus bring into full circle the early Christian symbols.
As the transformation of the
Cross grew from "crossing" ones self on their forehead or chest to
carvings, sculpting to other art forms like stained glass etc the use of
the Cross in jewelry was originally in the form of necklaces and rings. |
Christian Necklaces
Eternity circle Christian
necklaces. Religious jewelry that speaks to your soul. |
Ankh Cross
Necklaces |
Cross Necklaces For Women
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Now days Cross jewelry has
evolved beyond rings and necklaces to earrings, toe rings, charms, pins
and brooches. While early on in the history of the Cross many churches
had a specific style of cross as their iconic representation. Now days,
while there are still Church specific cross designs, the majority of
crosses are non denominational in style affording Christianity and
almost endless array of crosses to choose from as they demonstrate their
devotion to their faith. |
