Buying and Wearing Antique Religious Jewelry

Antique religious jewelry is making a comeback, paralleling the rise in the wearing of contemporary religious jewelry. Antique religious Christian jewelry is often handed down from generations past to younger generations as family heirlooms, but may also be bought at antiques shops, estate sales, and elsewhere as sometimes it becomes sold or lost in the shuffle of life. Religious jewelry, either antique or contemporary, can be a great way for one to express religious beliefs.



Religious jewelry has surged in popularity in recent years. Most noticeably, everywhere one looks they seem to notice someone donning a cross around their neck as a nod to Christianity or Catholicism. But there are other forms of jewelry being worn besides necklaces, and in addition to the recent trend in religious jewelry wearing it is important to note that the idea of wearing religious jewelry is nothing new. Religious jewlery and clothing has been worn for centuries and is a part of many religions, not unique to just one or a few religions of modern day. So, some of those who are wearing religious jewelry nowadays are choosing to wear antique religious jewelry.



Where does someone find antique religious jewelry? Most often, it is passed down generation after generation through families with a strong religious focus and heritage. A religious necklace worn by a grandmother is very likely to be worn by her daughter and in turn her granddaughter. This is common with all types of antique religious jewelry, including pins, rings, and necklaces. Another way one might find antique religious jewelry is by buying it at an estate sale, auction, yard sale, or at an antique store. Sometimes a piece of antique religious jewelry will go unnoticed and unrecognised for what it may be and be considered to be 'junk jewelry' or someone may not understand the meaning of a symbol or portrayal of an image on a piece of jewelry, and it is for this reason that some beautiful antique religious jewelry has met an unfortunate end at the hands of those who were ignorant of what they were holding.

To find antique religious jewelry, shop around a little. Check out local thrift shops, junk stores, and antique stores. Some jewelry does wind up in places like this because of estate auctions or people sell it and have no idea what they are selling at the time they part with the piece of jewelry. Also, jewelers sometimes have a line of used jewelry or know where to acquire pieces of antique jewelry if there is something specific a customer has in mind. They can also be a great source of information about pieces if they are familiar with antique jewelry overall.



Antique religious jewelry is not much different to care for than contemporary religious jewelry, except a person might want to take care with not bending any items that are made of gold. Often antique jewelry items that are made out of gold are made out of a purer form of gold than most jewelry currently is, meaning the piece is softer and more prone to bending or may become damaged easily. Careful care of an antique piece of jewelry can mean continued enjoyment for generations to come.