Religious Antiques & Collectibles

Although there are breathtaking antique artifacts in every religion, what we mostly call "religious art" in antiques and collectibles today, is actually artifacts belonging to the Catholic liturgy, famous for its magnificence. From intricate embroideries to crucifixes with precious stones, decorative holy water fonts to popular rosaries, religious Art is very much in demand today.



For several decades after WWII, churches and convents have poured their antique treasures on the market to raise funding for their institutions. These prodigal days are over, as the same institutions now seem to be buying them back, possibly following a trend started by Benedict XVI, who contrary to Pope John XXIII's simple white robe, is now seen wearing more traditional vestments with intricate lace, etc. This shift should ensure that the market of religious artifacts not only remains stable, but very likely increases for the next few years. Since the spectrum of cult objects is nearly infinite! I will only review here, artifacts I have been collecting, trading or closely watching.

There are 2 parts to this guide: Arifacts and Textiles.

Religious Arifacts

Crosses/Crucifixes

Crucifixes come in all forms and shapes with the most precious done in ivory and silver with abundance of extra characters. Walnut or darkened pear tree wood carvings from the Napoleon III period are also popular. Crucifixes can be standing pieces or wall pieces.


Micro Mosaic crucifixes made in Rome are also very much in demand. These micro mosaic pieces purchased by pilgrims to the Vatican, often have lovely representations of Roman monuments.

Holy water fonts

Very ornate, very decorative pieces made of various materials: embossed brass, marble, and even lucite during the Art Deco times.



They have a hollow shell at the front to hold the water brought back in bottles from the popular holy cities: Rome, Lourdes, Lisieux, etc.

Relics: Framed Reliquaries

These framed reliquaries are glass boxes which contain a genuine saint's relic at the back and are usually sealed with red wax. The relic can be a small piece of parchment, hair, even coffin dust!

At the front, reliquaries show a white porcelain figurine, an embossed embroidery, a wax scene, etc. often caught in incredibly delicate paper lace ribbons called: paperolles, with the names of the saints and mottos. The most popular of these mini shrines are Napoleon III black "bubble glass" oval frames. But reliquaries can be square, round, octogonal and also have a minuscule size.

Relics: Travelling Reliquaries

Usually pocket cylinders. with a mini statue of a saint or of the Madonna inside. They can be silver plate etuis covered with fleur de lis or bone carvings that reveal a figurine by rotation. Some pieces of religious jewelry were also travelling reliquaries, though these pieces are more ancient. For instance 17th C Knight of Malta crosses worn as pendants, contained a relic at the back in a glass compartment.

Rosaries & Medals

Rosaries have become hip bracelets for women and hip necklaces for men in the past couple of years. They range from plastic beads and rhodium, to solid silver, ivory, mop, coral beads. Religious medals/charms are also in demand, particularly blue guilloche silver medals.

Often made in Lourdes, which right after the sightings of the Virgin by young shepherds in 1858, became a center of religious pilgrimage, a touristic rival of Rome, and a distribution center of cheap religious artifacts. With time, even the kitschiest of the Lourdes tourists'production, and of course because of it! has become a collectible category.

Religious Textiles

Though there was still intense creativity displayed in church textiles shortly after WWII, one can safely say that in the second part of the 20th Century, there is a steep decline in all needlework done by hand, so the most prestigious collectibles are pre- 1950s European vestments, with a peak circa 1870-1900, times of obvious church and state wealth in Europe, and intense religious production.

There are still a number of 18th C pieces on the market, not necessarily in bad shape, as church embroideries were very heavy, with the metallic texture of fabrics, fringes and embroideries keeping vestments together, but these more ancient pieces are of course very faded and their gold and silver components quite tarnished. Still, they are among the most spectacular.

Vestments: Chasubles, Copes & Dalmatics

They are the colorful upper part of the priest garments. They are quite heavy fabrics assemblages, and are done in ritual colors: purple, black, etc.  to celebrate the religious seasons of the year: Lent, Assumption, Easter, Xmas, etc.

They are sheaths with no sleeves, worn a bit like a body armor for the chasuble, with horizontal bands for the dalmatics and a capelet at the back for the copes.

A complete set includes a manipule, a purse, a chalice veil and a stole. All vestments are richly adorned with three dimensional satin stitch embroideries, embossed metallic thread motifs, trims and fringes. Most pieces are made of silk, sometimes silk brocades  with gold thread, specially woven for the church. Motifs can be religious symbols such as lambs, birds, the sacred heart of Jesus, but also decorative representations of nature such as flowers, leaves, wheat ears, and of course grapes, which are both nature and symbol. Small gold sequins and beads can be present. 18th C vestments may include other themes like the pelican. Even small remnants of these rich garments have become hot collectibles, as these metallic motifs are so precious, they can easily compare to jewelry.

Sterling Silver Christian Jewelry Is Religious

There are many different types of jewelry and there are many different types of religions. Therefore, there are many types of religious jewelry pieces. This religious jewelry helps people to express their faith in some kind of religion. Most people who wear some kind of religious jewelry seem to be familiar with both Christian and Jewish religious symbols. It could be the case that crosses are the most recognized and familiar Christian religious symbol.



In addition, The Star of David could be considered the most recognized Jewish religious symbol. It is interesting to note that both Christian crosses and Jewish Stars of David are created from sterling silver. However, sterling silver crosses are Christian jewelry, which are religious.

Unique Cross Necklaces - Customize your Jewelry Choices

One of the most basic and standard types of jewelry is the cross, which can be seen in a pendant form or in other necklaces. Those who are looking for a simple design will have no problem choosing from the vast array of different materials and sizes that these cross necklaces come in, but for those who are a little more daring with their wardrobe choice, it might be a good idea to see what the other options are in terms of style. For example, unique cross necklaces might come in materials other than the standard silver and gold. Precious metals, wooden materials, or even synthetics could give the jewelry designer more room to work with.



Celtic designs are also another way for unique cross necklaces to stand out from the crowd. The Celtic cross consists of the regular cross, with a circle at the intersection. Although there is some debate as to what this circle was originally meant to represent, these days most people believe it is a representation of the sun, or a victor’s wreath. In any case, this type of cross is a little bit different from the standard options, and will give you a unique flair to your look.



Silver Gothic crosses are also a popular way to express individuality. There is even more room for personalized design with these unique cross necklaces, because so many different types of crosses can be termed Gothic. Typically, they include extra embellishments, such as ornate details.

Why Stainless Steel Jewelry is the Hottest Trend Today

So many different types of jewelry are popular today. In fact, jewelry has been popular for centuries and adored by various people from different cultures and parts of the world. Jewelry itself dates back ancient times where even Kings and Queens would express themselves by wearing jewelry. Among the various types of jewelry that will never go out of style is stainless steel jewelry. Made popular years ago, there are several qualities of stainless steel jewelry that make it so popular. The question is: Why stainless steel jewelry is the hottest trend today?



There are numerous designs, styles, and types of jewelry that are growing increasingly popular today. Still, even with the various competitors out there, stainless steel jewelry continues to be all the rage. So many people from all sorts of origins and backgrounds find satisfaction in owning stainless steel jewelry. There are several reasons which attribute to why stainless steel jewelry is the hottest trend today.



There are many different qualities and traits of jewelry crafted from stainless steel which combine to make this type of jewelry one of the hottest trends today. Perhaps one of the most contributing reasons is because stainless steel is incredibly durable.

Durability is an important thing to look for when selecting jewelry. The durability of stainless steel jewelry which makes it difficult to break is perhaps one of the reasons why stainless steel jewelry is the hottest trend today. A lot of moms wear jewelry and all mothers are all too familiar with the fact that children love to break their jewelry. Fortunately, even the strongest baby or toddler might find it quite difficult to bend or break their mommy’s stainless steel bracelet.

Digging Up Some Facts About Byzantine Gold Crosses

The author of the following article appreciates the fact that that the world today is very different from the world of the Byzantine crosses. The author of the following article belongs to an interfaith organization. Her organization could never identify itself with a symbol that contained only Byzantine gold crosses. The symbol of an interfaith organization should have symbols that represent Judaism, Islam, the Buddhist religion, the Hindu religion, the Sikh religion, the Baha’i Faith., and perhaps even the Native American religions. Today, some artists have chosen to combine all of those symbols in one unique mixture of religious symbols.



When archaeologists want to learn more about Byzantine gold crosses, they dig down to a layer of soil that is filled with relics of the 4th Century. During that time period, Emperor Constantine made the city of Byzantium the capital of the Byzantine Empire. Four hundred years after the death of Christ, the Byzantine Empire extended up into what is now known as the British Isles.

If someone were to ride a time machine back to Constantine’s Byzantine Empire, he or she would not find a great many Byzantine gold cross jewelry on display. Christianity was still a minority religion in that long-ago society. Yet archaeologists have uncovered proof that some residents of those Isles did indeed recognize the beliefs espoused in the early Christian doctrines.

One group of archaeologists decided to look for Byzantine relics in the village named Prittleville. Those same archaeologists knew that the history of Prittleville extended back to the time of the 4th Century. They hoped to learn more about that century by digging in the soil of Prittleville.

One day those archaeologists discovered some gold objects in the area soil. They had unearthed a few Byzantine gold crosses and crucifixes. Through further study, the same archeologists learned that a man of great status had once resided in Prittleville. Moreover, the archaeologists discovered that the same, respected Prittleville resident had been a Christian Perhaps further digging will provide details concerning the extent to which that Prittleville resident tried to hide his Christian beliefs. Perhaps he had a special locked box in which he kept his Byzantine gold crosses. He must have rejoined when he first heard that the Christian Constantine would be the new ruler of Byzantium.



How his prayers must have changed, following that announcement. No doubt he prayed that his children and grandchildren would live under a ruler with Christian beliefs. Prior to the introduction of Christianity, the residents of the Isles north of the European mainland practiced a pagan religion.

They saw no difference between their pagan symbols and the Byzantine gold crosses held by the Christian residents. A number of centuries would pass before the rulers of the British Isles had adopted the Christian beliefs. Eventually, those same rulers make the Episcopal Church the official Church of England.

Today the use of the Christian cross is evident in any English church service. Indeed the whole world saw the cross on the casket of Princess Diana, when England paused for her funeral, back in the late summer of 1997.



Perhaps some British citizen who watched that televised funeral procession was related to the Prittleville resident with the golden Byzantine crosses. Perhaps that current British citizen prayed then with a fervor that mirrored the fervor of his or her distant relative.

Greek Religious Jewelry – An Impressive Fashion Statement

There are in fact several definitions of jewelry. One of them is that it describes any ornamental adornment on the body ranging from toe rings to tiaras and everything in between. Now, there has been an extensive use of jewelry in every culture during different phases of history and in many different ways. While in many cultures in the present day jewelry is found to be applied mostly on aesthetic purpose, in the other cultures jewelry is found to serve other functions as well, like marital status and tribal affinity. If truth be told, in a lot of cultures jewelry has been applied both for religious purposes and as the emblem of religious affiliation. The Greek religious jewelry in this regard deserves special mention among several traditions. It is in view of the fact that from the ancient period the Greek jewelry is noted as a venerable device being extensively used in the religious purposes making them for solemn and refined.



Now when we discuss of the Greek religious jewelry, at the very outset we must accept since in the modern days jewelry is mostly used for decorative purposes we often tend to forget of the roots of jewelry. With it we also do not care to remember that the jewelries in several cultural traditions have been used extensively for religious purposes. The Greek religious jewelry in this way is a great instance which through its respected uses has influenced the thought processes of generations after generations of people. Now, for example, if you are asked of your feeling at the time of thinking of a cross what shall be your answer? Certainly you will not answer in an amusing way saying that it reminds you of a latest Hollywood movie. But obviously it does make you remember the story of Christ and his crucifixion. Or you may answer of other identifications with a cross. The next question obviously will be where from you have got the other identifications with the cross. You may point to the American Red Cross whose cross is synonymous to a plus sign but red, and wider, defined as two perpendiculars, symmetrical points.