Cross Necklaces & Pendants

Crosses have been featured decorative elements since humankind’s earliest days. Our ancient predecessors often incorporated cross-like motifs in their adornment as a means of talismanic protection against various ills. As our cultures progressed, novel interpretations of the cross began to appear around the globe.

By the age of ancient Egypt, for example, the symbol had evolved into the “ankh,” a cross with a looped upper stem that was known as the symbol for life itself. The Celtic cultures of the 5th century innovated further, developing what is known as the “Celtic cross,” characterized by a cross whose flared arms intersect within a circle.

Continued popularity of the cross was guaranteed with its symbolic connections with Christianity. From small objects of adornment on worshippers to the more elaborate pectoral crosses worn across the chest of ecclesiastical figures, the cross is secured today as an eternal symbol.

Quick Facts

• During the medieval age of European pilgrimage, those undertaking the journey would bedeck their bags or cloaks with the symbol of the cross to identify themselves as pilgrims as they entered new communities
• Jewelry designer Kathy Rose took cross necklaces into modern popularity with her 2007 sideways cross design. Sold at first exclusively in Roseark boutiques in California, Rose’s sideways cross pieces materialized across the celebrity scene
• The current Pope Francis re-popularized the pectoral cross, making it a central part of uniform during his official papal visits