The cross-reliquary "The Sign"

Jewelry, like any expensive items, requires careful handling and certain care. Special attention should be paid to the appearance of jewelry in hot and humid climates. It is also necessary to protect jewelry from getting perfumes and cosmetics on them.

From the very beginning of Christianity, the cross has become for believers not just an image of an instrument of execution, but a symbol of victory over death and hope. In the fourth century, when the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Emperor Constantine won by the power of the image of the Cross of the Lord, and the Holy Queen Elena found the Life-giving Cross in Jerusalem, the national veneration of this shrine began. Thousands of pilgrims flocked to Palestine, seeking to take with them a piece of the Golgotha Tree in order to carry it as an incessant reminder of the Savior's earthly life, His sufferings and Resurrection. Thus was born the tradition of the cross, a personal sign of belonging to Christ and a tangible testimony of faith.

Silver is one of the most ancient metals known to man. Its white luster, plasticity, and ability to take any shape have made it a favorite jeweler's material for thousands of years. Unlike gold, silver is more affordable, but it is not inferior to it in beauty and nobility. However, pure silver is too soft to create durable jewelry, so it has been used as alloys since ancient times.

Since the first centuries of Christianity, believers, going on a pilgrimage or a long journey, sought to have with them a shrine – a particle of the Golgotha Cross, relics of saints or objects consecrated on them. This is how encolpions appeared (from the Greek "collos" — the bowels, the heart): small arks that were worn on the chest. Initially, they had the shape of medallions with a schematic representation of a cross, but over time they themselves acquired a cross-shaped appearance. In Russia, such crosses began to be called relics, since they kept the particles of relics inside and therefore were endowed with special grace for the believer.

The Blessed Virgin Mary holds a special place in the Orthodox tradition. Her image, imprinted in countless icons, is not only evidence of deep reverence, but also a key to understanding the most important dogmas of Christianity. The iconography of the Virgin is surprisingly diverse, but all this diversity goes back to three main types: "Oranta", "Hodegetria" and "Tenderness". Each of them reveals a certain facet of Her relationship with the Divine Son.