Nasrani Cross & Floury Cross

Flowery Indian cross necklace – handmade and recycled silver 100 year old sterling silver Florin

Amongst the oldest Christian communities of the world.  Saint Thomas Christian crosses are an ancient cross symbol that belonged to the original community of Saint Thomas Christians of India, who trace their origins to the evangelistic activity of St Thomas the apostle in the 1st century.  aka Mar Thoma Sleeva (Saint Thomas Cross).

The cross is often depicted emerging from a lotus flower, a potent symbol. The lotus, which rises pure and beautiful from muddy waters, poetically represents spiritual purity, holiness, and transcendence. This imagery beautifully integrates Christian beliefs into an Indian cultural setting, symbolizing the establishment of the Church in India’s spiritual landscape.

The floral motifs, which typically adorn the four ends of the cross, represent fruition and life from the “Tree of Life”. The cross is transformed from an instrument of death into a blossoming tree, symbolizing the new life that springs from Christ’s Resurrection. It is a visual poem of redemption, showing that through death comes life, and through suffering, spiritual fruitfulness.

The absence of Jesus’s effigy on the cross directs focus to the Resurrection rather than the Passion. This theological emphasis on the empty tomb and Christ’s glorious return is central to the Eastern Syriac tradition that influenced the St. Thomas Christians.

I have lovingly crafted each cross pendant from a 100 year old silver florin.  For instance, the one above is over a century old, created in 1902.  The coins themselves are the perfect medium for this beautiful design, inline with a love of nature using these coins is the perfect ethical and green solution. No new silver is destructively ‘mined’ and old, uncollectible pure silver coins are saved from the ‘melting pot’ of bullion merchants. This protects their history and ensures their stories live on.

Once the design is freehand sketched on to the coin, it is hand cut and carved using traditional hand saws, chisels and files. This traditional process allows me to have a close connection to each piece. This also gives the added bonus of each piece being completely unique.  Each cross is individually handmade and recycled in Cambridge, England.

Size : Approx 24 mm * 17 mm

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