A little more detail…

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

The Christian moon cross is a powerful, multilayered poetic symbol, combining the moon’s celestial nature with the cross’s earthly, salvific significance. It holds a variety of meanings, most prominently depicting the cosmic event of the crucifixion, the majesty of Christ, and the spiritual relationship between the believer and the divine.

“And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet” (Revelation, 12:1).  In this the moon represents baptism.  The moon symbol on the cross also connects the Chalice with the body of Christ.  It also represents the cradle in Bethlehem and the ship of the church of people led by Christ.

Poetically, the moon cross can evoke the darkening of the sky during Jesus’s death on the cross, as mentioned in the Gospels (Matthew 27:45; Mark 15:33). The lunar imagery at the foot of the cross signifies the moment when creation itself recoiled in shock and grief at Christ’s suffering. The sun was eclipsed, and the moon bore witness to the cosmic tragedy, its own light temporarily diminished in sorrow.The moon and sun in crucifixion scenes serve as the two celestial witnesses to Christ’s death. The imagery resolves the dualities of life and death, light and darkness, through Christ’s sacrifice.

In Orthodox tradition, particularly in Russian contexts, the moon beneath the cross can be seen as an anchor, a symbol of hope and security. Hebrews 6:18–19, which calls hope “a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”.The anchor symbol also connects to the ancient image of the Church as a ship, with the cross and crescent acting as its mooring in the harbor of salvation. The cross provides the steadfast spiritual anchor in the turbulent sea of life.

The crescent shape is also poetically interpreted as the cradle that held the infant Jesus, tying the cross to the beginning of Christ’s life on earth. In another sacramental interpretation, the crescent can represent the chalice of the Eucharist, linking the cross of sacrifice to the new covenant of Christ’s blood.

Historically, the cross over the crescent was used in the Byzantine and Russian empires, and some scholars interpret this as a symbol of the victory of Orthodox Christianity over the power of the Byzantine state, which used the crescent as an emblem.

I lovingly craft each Moon cross pendant from a 100 year old silver Florin. 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 the 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 26 mm * 18 mm

Interesting article on the moon cross