Small Celtic Cross with Gemstone in Sterling Silver

This is a small handmade Celtic cross that is made in .925 sterling silver and measures 2.5cm long, 1.6cm wide and set with a 3mm stone. I do have a variety of choices for stones available, but if you are looking for a specific stone not on the list please let me know. I will be making your pendant upon ordering, and pick my best stones for my pendants!

Sterling silver is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925.

There is a large Irish population here in Montreal, and no one was making jewellery in this style when I started. So I decided to fill the void with older designs! These are from a collection of master designs I got from a retiring jeweller here in Montreal. The original design dates from the 40's-50's, but I made a new mold and started making them in sterling silver and bronze.

The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland and Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses erected across the islands, especially in regions evangelized by Irish missionaries, from the 9th through the 12th centuries. A staple of Insular art, the Celtic cross is essentially a Latin cross with a nimbus surrounding the intersection of the arms and stem. Scholars have debated its exact origins, but it is related to earlier crosses featuring rings. The form gained new popularity during the Celtic Revival of the 19th century; the name "Celtic cross" is a convention dating from that time. The shape, usually decorated with interlace and other motifs from Insular art, became popular for funerary monuments and other uses, and has remained so, spreading well beyond Ireland.