A digital archive showcasing the extensive collection of jewellery and adornment images shared on the former Ethnic Jewels Ning site over the years. These images have significantly enriched discussions on cultural adornment and its global dispersion.
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Oh my, Betty! This is spectacular! A Bulgarian reliquary cross? One of the best I have seen. Congratulations!!
Lynn, you are already answering my most burning question it seems. Unfortunately the piece was crossly misrepresented by the previous owner and I have spent two days trying to solve the mystery of its origin. Bulgaria would have been my best guess, too, but I was not sure.
Linda P. posted a similiar piece, but no-one seemed to know about its exact provenience...
https://ethnicjewels.ning.com/photo/granulated-cross-reliquary
Thanks Lynn!
If you could perhaps give me a hint were I could find literature relating to these crosses, I would be mist grateful.
Betty I do not know for sure, but it shares features common to crosses definitely from Bulgaria, and I have seen similar (not as nice!) ones located in Bulgaria on eBay. Here are two that Peter has, and a comment from Linda relating her exquisite cross to them. Whatever its origin it is stunning and you are lucky!!
https://ethnicjewels.ning.com/photo/cross-bulgaria?context=user
https://ethnicjewels.ning.com/photo/necklace-with-cross-bulgaria-1?c...
Dear Betty; Well, you have caught a big fish here! Congratulations! This piece is fantastic and I would also locate it to Bulgaria. I will post a large filigree (standing - church altar) cross from Bulgaria in February and you will see some similarities, especially the way the corals are fitted. Again, a most beautiful find Betty! With kind regards and best wishes. Peter
Thanks a lot, Lynn and Peter!
It was actually described as "Tibetan" :-). Well, I knew it was certainly not from Tibet, and that it must be some kind of an eastern European encolpion. I expectd it to sell for a very high price, but decided to bid anyway and was lucky!
I look forward to seeing your altar cross in february, Peter!
Wow Betty, what an 1mpressive piece, worthy for anybody, can just see it on a elaborate silk or velvet dress hanign long beneath the wait line. Work so skillfully done and still I can see the pieces, like the fillegrain work, the salmiac shaped pieces just like on other ottoman features. Beautiful corral and the mysterious purple color through the windows, which must give it a bit of mystery atmosphere.
Beautiful and a piece of art. Congratulations. Do you also have a picture of the back please? Gr. Ingrid.
Thank you, Ingrid. It is indeed a piece with an air of mystery around it ... :-)
Here's a picture of the reverse:
https://ethnicjewels.ning.com/photo/unusual-find-reverse?context=user
Indeed a fantastic find.
May i beg to differ as i have seen many bulgarian crosses (a couple only last week in Paris, among the fnest i had ever come across) they are all brilliantly filgreed but often do come with couloured glass cabs!
There is here a peculiar feature which is the use of those coral "floating" beads on a silver wire!
A gut feeling tells me a rather Greek orthodox cross either from Greece or even better from the Anatolian greeks who have since all been desplaced to Greece from modern Turkey!
Those little pendants on each sides of the cross proper are very Turkish and often found on belt buckles as secondary dangles
Thank you very much for your comment, Alaa.
I will follow up your exciting hint!
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