Antique jewelry glossary

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Reliquary

A small casket, pendant, pectoral cross, or other receptacle for keeping or displaying a religious relic. Some, especially those made to contain an important relic, were often very highly decorated and ornamented with gemstones, but less pretentious types were made of silver or silver-gilt to contain relics of less importance.

From: An Illustrated Dictionary of Jewelry, autor: Harold Newman, publishers: Thames and Hudson