The Jewish faith is very complex and interesting. Religious jewelry has a great significance in the context of Judaism. There even is a fragment of Talmud which tells about the fact that while they were in the dessert, Jews received not only food, but also precious gems, which were meant to become ornaments for women. This is great evidence that women can and should wear all types of personal accessories. The tractate of Bava Batra, it is said that no one has the right of impeding traders to sell jewelry in their own town. Talmud explains these words by adding that jewelry was absolutely necessary for daughters of Israel.
Therefore, it is obvious that religious jewelry had and still has a high meaning in Judaism. But it is important to mention that these jewels must be modest and small, they shouldn’t be too big or too vulgar. The aim of these ornaments for a woman is to be always attractive for her husband, but she should never be attractive for other men. The Talmud even has a fragment which says that a husband should never forget about the happiness that jewels bring to his wife and he must give her such precious presents on every holiday.
Jewish religious jewelry is, obviously, extremely spread on the global market. It has some exclusive symbols as the Chai, the Mezuzah, the Mizpah friendship coin and the Star of David. The Chai is a very important sign in Judaism, as it represents the entire spirit of religion and faith.
It is not hard to imagine that religious jewelry of Judaism is mostly made from gold and silver, and decorated with gems and diamonds. All these symbols have a great history and a mysterious charm. Therefore, they are not only worn by Jewish people, but also by personalities interested in this faith.
Christian religious jewelry has one leading tradition - wearing crucifixes, which has existed since the beginning of this faith. The cross or the crucifix is a compulsory attribute of orthodox religion, as the symbol of “spiritual protection from the devil”. In fact, this sign was considered important even before Christianity. A cross integrated in a square was the emblem of Earth and stability. If it was represented in a circle, it referred to the Sun, the centre of our Universe, as a connection between earth and sky. A lot of nations considered it to materialize ideas of contrast in nature, such as life and death, woman and man. Christianity, however, has changed the perception of cross, by making it the sign of eternal existence and worship of God. Millions of faithful people believe this symbol to be strong enough to protect them from all types of negative energy.
Nowadays, religious jewelry has significantly developed. It offers a great variety of crosses and crucifixes, which can be bought in jewelry shops, churches, monasteries and orthodox stores. Fortunately, the church does not forbid this large assortment. The global market presents classical forms of crucifixes, but also complex designs, including miniature saints and relic boxes.
Besides crucifixes, the industry of religious jewelry also produces many pendants of all possible forms and designs. They usually appear as breast icons or sacred images. They picture famous icons of Jesus Christ and other important saints, which are believed to have miraculous effects.
If you decide to buy such a religious item, you can choose from a variety of forms and prices. Many of these crucifixes and pendants are made from gold, silver, and even precious diamonds. They are not only spiritually important, but also beautiful and fashionable. Obviously, you can also buy a modest jewel, made from cheap material. The price doesn’t really count, it is your faith that matters.
Children represent our bright future and this is why parents try to offer them only the best things. This is even valid for religious jewelry. Most of the religions include special accessories for children, which should be given to them with special occasions. These events are certainly nice, as the ornaments have a special meaning to both children and parents.
If to speak about the Catholic faith, it has a beautiful tradition - parents offer a religious accessory to their daughter during her First Holy Communion. These elements of religious jewelry are tremendously important, and parents usually keep them with great attention until the girl grows older. Actually, each Catholic woman has such a pendant. It reminds her of the first participation in the Sacrament, the preparations for Mass, the pride to wear a veil similarly to a bride, and other important religious feelings.
The Baptist process of Confirmation is also an appropriate moment for the parents to give religious jewelry. Children receive small bracelets or rosaries at early ages. They are, obviously, extremely important for them as they grow up. The Confirmation is, in its essence, a possibility for teenagers to choose their own names. Each teen also choose a saint to be his spiritual patron. Respectively, he also receives a talisman with the image of the chosen saint. Besides, children receive numerous articles of religious jewelry, such as crucifixes, medals and Holy Spirit Pins.
Other faiths, such as Buddhism, Hinduism, and Christianity also include processes of giving children their first item of religious jewelry. This is always important for parents and useful for babies. This is why, if you decided to offer such a significant gift to your child, you should choose it very attentively, as it will be his protection for the rest of his life.
You don’t necessarily need strong faith in order to wear religious jewelry from famous designers. You don’t have to worship a divinity or to pray in the evening. Such accessories are not always a demonstration of faith; sometimes they might simply be an attribute of fashion. And fashion doesn’t respect dogmata, at least not always.
It is well-known that Coco Chanel, one of the “icons” of fashion, was the first famous lady to wear Maltese crucifixes. In 2005-2006, the same symbols of religious jewelry were promoted by Dolce&Gabbana. It was more than enough for making these items extremely trendy in the whole world.
The tradition is now continued by Elizabeth Hurley. Probably only few people know that these crucifixes were the symbol of the first Christian crusade, organized by Pope Urban II in 1095, but again, these accessories are no longer strictly connected to religion. There are now available crosses from platinum, gold, wood and crystals - from Kara Ross (New York) or crucifixes with precious gems from Lalaounis, Greece.
It might sound strange, but if fashion cannot be limited by religious ideas, religion can become fashion. The red bracelets worn by Madonna and Britney Spears, both believers of the Judaic faith Kabalah, are now sold all over the United States for 25 dollars. If you want to look like a star, you should choose an item from religious jewelry, so popular among famous people.
Such preferences among stars might be discussed unlimitedly, but there is one main idea to understand from all this. Religious jewelry is no longer a simple attribute of faith. You might buy such an ornament so as to be fashionable and trendy, and no one will consider this inadequate. Time has changed and so have the tendencies, so there is nothing wrong in wearing a crucifix even if you are not a Christian.