Manoli’s Jewelers has Byzantine era bronze crosses that have modern surrounding embellishments in sterling silver with 18 karat yellow gold accents and some are set with rose cut diamonds and sapphires.
The Byzantine cross was worn as a symbol of faith during the Byzantine empire which is generally from 324 to 640 AD. The Byzantine Empire began when the fourth century Emperor, Constantine, who christianized the Roman Empire making Byzantium the center of its domain with Constantinople as its capital. Due to the change in religion to Christianity, Constantine would later be canonized as Saint Constantine. The uniting of Greek, Roman and Christian cultures gave rise to some of the worlds greatest acheivements in architecture, art and jewelry design. Numerous examples of the magnificent Byzantine jewelry have been found in the ancient Holy Land on archealogical digs and shipwreck dives. These ancient Byzantine crosses were symbols of Christian faith and proudly worn by the people who lived and worshipped during the period. The Byzantine cross has been exhibited in museums as the keystone of the Byzantine culture and its religion.
The ancient bronze cross is taken and a modern frame is crafted by hand to hold the center cross. The frame may be in sterling silver or may have accents of 18 karat yellow gold. The artist may then add a central bezel that is set with an old fashioned rose-cut diamond or even a beautiful blue sapphire.
The unique and one-of-a-kind crosses come with a certificate of authenticity verifying that the central bronze cross is of ancient origin.
You can find these ancient byzantine crosses at Manoli’s Jewelers and a friend of Manoli’s named Pavlos Angelos designed these crosses for Nouveau 1910.
