Inspiration for my Crosses

Ever since I was a child, I liked crosses. I guess, being raised a Catholic, had something to do with it.

My first cross purchase was a surfer’s cross that I bought in a shop on Ocean City’s boardwalk. It was silver & shiny black. The black portion was probably enamel. Little did I know then that I’d actually be making enamel jewelry.

When I started my jewelry journey, I always knew I would make crosses but didn’t have a clue what style or design. I knew it wouldn’t be ordinary or typical.

During a 10 week course learning how to develop a signature line of jewelry, we were instructed to dive deep into ourselves. Oh, God, no, I didn’t want to go there. It was the only way to fully grasp what drives our creativity.  Our instructor provided the tools to get us started and just when I thought I completed the assignment, there were more “whys”.  It never ended, it was an exercise to find out why we make/create our art.

The course took me back to my first trip abroad to Italy. The churches, the ancient ruins, the sacred spots. It was then that I was motivated to research the history of the cross!
The very first cross I made was a Maltese Cross, it is the exact same style cross that I bought on the boardwalk, 50 yrs. ago! The Maltese Cross signifies Courage, Honor, Humility, Loyalty & Protection. It was worn by Christian warriors during the Crusades, believed to be fighting the good fight.

https://kathyavicolli.com/jewelry/fine-silver-cross-with-aquamarine/