The object I chose for this particular project is my grandmother’s cross necklace, as I find it the most intriguing. The necklace is made of a hard, sturdy, silver-colored metal. Since it hasn’t tarnished at all since my grandmother owned it (and is just a touch darker than any silver jewelry I’ve seen) , I’m doubtful of its being made of pure silver; perhaps a silver alloy or steel is the more likely composition. The cross pendant measures roughly 2 1/4 inches high and 1 1/4 inches across, and it sports a design of slanted hatch marks reaching upward/downward from the center and overlaid by a much thinner, smoother cross. Deeper, more noticeable hatches are visible at somewhat regular intervals along the branches of the cross–eight in total on each of the three short branches and 23 on the long branch. Each branch of the main cross ends in a slight flare, and v-shaped notches that meet the ends of the small top cross are cut out of the centers of each one. In the middle of the piece, where the branches of the cross are connected, is a smooth, opaque oval stone, forest green in color except for some tiny flecks of red here and there, and encased in a setting made of little silver arches. This setting does not hold the stone in place; rather, it looks as if the stone is attached to the piece with some kind of glue or clear jewelry cement. The chain attached to the cross is actually two smaller chains linked together so that the individual links stagger, giving it a “stacked” look.

The cross pendant and chain are connected by a thin, triple folded metal band serving as a decorative jump ring. When I wear it, it reaches to about mid-chest length.

This necklace was given to me when my grandmother died (I was in the third grade at the time), but in the hustle and bustle of dealing with the aftermath of her death, I never thought to ask anybody how it had found its way into my grandmother’s possession. About a year ago, I approached my aunt–who was very close with my grandmother–and asked her if she knew anything about it. She didn’t even remember having ever seen it. Curiously, this piece lacks any markings, stampings, or other identifying marks displaying its country of origin, its material composition, or the name of its manufacturer. Given that most commercially-produced items have been marked in this fashion for some time–our family even has a few heirlooms dating back to my grandfather’s infancy that are stamped with the factory of origin–I found this to be a bit strange. Image searches on the necklace and general research about jewelry makers in upstate NY (where my grandparents lived) turned up no results. I’m considering taking it to a jeweler to gain some insight into when and how the piece was made, but regardless of how much or how little I discover about its history, it will always be a significant symbol to me as it connects me to a side of my family I know very little about.