Antique jewelry glossary

Welcome to our extensive antique jewelry glossary with around 1,500 jewelry related entries.If you feel you are missing an explanation, feel free to let us know and we will add it.

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z     all

Reliquary cross

A type of reliquary in the form of a cross. Byzantine examples from the 10th century, said to have been found at Istanbul, are of gold, decorated with cloisonné enamel. Such pieces were also made in Spain in the 17th century, sometimes of hollow gold set with many gemstones amid enamelled decoration. Some examples have several compartments for a number of relics.

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