Though cross necklaces have been around since the Roman Empire was Christianised, recently, crucifixes have become popular tropes among jewellers like New Top Jewelry and Instagram-popular brands like Bagatiba and Vanessa Mooney for fashion's sake.
Obviously, anyone who's danced to Madonna or Billy Idol knows that the "fashion cross" isn't a new phenomenon. In fact, it's long been used to criticise conformity and chastity, which critics identify as two hallmarks of the Christian faith. But in 2018, there are far fewer people wearing the cross as a subversive act, and many more wearing it as a purely aesthetic one. Perhaps it's because, in today's climate, we're holding each other to a much stricter standard when it comes to wearing sacred symbols out of context.
With the upcoming Met Gala touching on the intersection of Catholicism and fashion, some are wondering whether coopting religious symbols for purely style-related reasons is fair game. Ahead of the event, I asked a few people who buy and make the pieces to share their thoughts — and across both designers and everyday Instagram followers of mine, there's no definitive answer on what's right or wrong when it comes to religious jewellery.
Because for every practising Catholic or Christian who wears the symbol religiously (take blogger Sami Weaver, for example, who sometimes shares her religious views on Instagram stories and has also worn vintage cross pieces on her page), there are those who are religious and choose not to — whether it's because they're no longer practising regularly or feel there are other ways to express their faith than through clothing or accessories. Then there are those who don't wear it for fear of offending someone, those who wear it to offend and comment on Christianity.
Read ahead for their thoughts.
"I’m not religious, but I do believe in a higher power. Four out of five of my best sellers on bagatiba.com are religion-related. A few years ago I decided to give people the option to shop 'Religion.' I gave Kendall Jenner our best-selling piece, the D2C Necklace I designed four years ago, and the trend took off immediately, in my opinion. I think 80% of my customers buy religious pieces for fashion purposes. I don’t think they understand what the crosses and charms mean, but that’s not my place to judge. They see girls like Kendall and Bella in them and think of it as a trend, rather than a lifestyle."
— Jessie Andrews, Founder & CEO, Bagatiba
"We believe this trend is about personal expression. Jewellery is an essential part of expressing personal style, and unique style is closely tied to personal beliefs. We sell cross jewellery for this reason — to allow our customer to express themselves in the most authentic way possible. We find that our consumers are intentional. Wearing socially and environmentally responsible accessories is becoming more and more important to today’s informed consumer. Since Moissanite is both beautiful and conscientious, many of our customers are making personal statements by wearing our jewelry, and Moissanite crosses are no different."
— Sarah O’Dea, Director of Marketing + Communications, Charles & Colvard
"Jewellery, to me, is simply expression. I come from a Christian Orthodox family from Lebanon and Syria. Naturally, the cross symbolises what generations of my family has believed in. It’s a symbol of love and hope for my family and I. As a child, rather than getting toys for holidays, it was tradition for my family to give us pieces of jewellery. Only did I realise as I got older how much those pieces mean to me.
"Growing up, I worked with my father in the Diamond District in New York City. Seeing the cross in silver and gold has always been a constant in my jewellery box and my life. The trend may be here right now, but it personally doesn’t represent itself as a trend for me.
"I am religious in my own way. I believe everyone is entitled to their own spiritual journey and beliefs. I do believe there is a greater place my deceased loved ones live. I believe in angels, luckily I have a few.
"I took a trip to the Vatican last year. I have never seen so many rosary-style and religious jewellery in my life. The shops had them hanging all over the walls, different colours and materials. Although it was inspirational, it made me come to the fact that jewellery can hold such a powerful meaning to the beholder. I realised, whether it is religious jewellery piece or not, it is a moment in time, a sentimental feeling, a connection that can last a lifetime."
— Kelly Shami Creative Director, CEO, Shami
"When I had [my brand] Lyell the first time around, it was a running joke that in every insane situation that comes with a clothing line business, I would say 'have faith.' Around the same time, I worked with a photographer who had it tattooed on his arm, and I also took it as a sign, — and to heart. It is something I do live by even though it's hard to maintain all the time...just mentally.
"I am not Catholic, but I love the cross. I love how it looks on the wall and on the body. I have always had a little vintage one I planned to give my daughter. I plan for Lyell to do different things with them: earrings, colours, and beyond."
— Emma Fletcher, Founder and Designer, Lyell
"Symbols are tricky things, because context dictates so much of their meaning. And while we sell a fair amount of religiously symbolic pieces to people purchasing them with their faith in mind, I love that we also have customers that find and appreciate beauty in objects that are outside of their beliefs. We need to cross more borders, and if wearing pretty things is a path to that, I'm all for it."
— Jade Gedeom, Founder, We Dream in Colour
"The Amber Sceats girl loves a trend. Aligning to our signature gold hardware, we sourced the finest craftsmen of Italy and France to develop and perfect our new season cross necklaces. Religious symbols including the cross are a beautiful way to reflect the diverse beliefs of the world, and appreciate history and art."
— Amber Sceats
"I'm not Catholic, but I have a lot of cross jewellery and am generally obsessed with all things crosses. I justify it because I went to Catholic school. Sometimes I wear rosaries because it's slightly subversive and edgy, but mostly just because I love the look. No spiritual meaning for me."
— @alixtunell
Forever21 necklace.
"I never have [worn cross jewellery] and never will because I am not religious, and I respect that any motif that is associated with a religion should be just that. Respected."
— @__duh__
Vanessa Mooney necklace.
"I only feel comfortable wearing jewellery with religious symbols if it's something in my faith. Otherwise, I don't feel comfortable. I see plenty of people wearing Om signs because it can symbolize more than just religion, but I personally wouldn't feel comfortable wearing a cross."
— @adeetsdesai
The M Jewelers necklace.
"There is a fine line between appropriation and appreciation, but generally, if someone has an understanding of the significance of the spiritual symbol they're using or wearing, I think that falls under appreciation, and that is okay by me."
— @happy_tunes
Ileana Makri necklace.
"I used to wear cross jewellery since I grew up Catholic, but since I'm not very religious anymore (I've stopped going to church), I've stopped. I feel like people just wear it because it's a fashion trend (Bagatiba is having a moment with its pieces), and I don't know, it feels kind of wrong to wear those symbols if you aren't religious or spiritual. It's surprising that people wear necklaces with Saints that they know nothing about. I swear I'm not super-conservative. Maybe it's just Catholic guilt..."
— @brazinda
Chrome Hearts necklace.
"I recently started to wear two of my grandma's vintage cross necklaces. Sometimes I layer them with other pieces. I am Christian, so it does have a cultural and spiritual significance to me. Also, in the workplace where it can be taboo to talk about religion, it's an open door or conversation starter for anyone who wants to talk about faith."
— @raeganrenee
Danni necklace.
"While I do like the way crosses look in jewellery, I never buy or wear religiously symbolic jewelry. I don't follow an organised religion, so it feels wrong to represent something I don't personally believe, regardless of whether I love the jewelry piece. I believe in the power of the universe, but not in what we think of God to be."
— @steph_abe
Alix and Ani necklace.
"I don't wear religious jewellery, and I find it pointless to do so. If you really believe in the religion aspect of it, your life should tell people — not a piece of jewellery or a tattoo. It seems like a cop out. I also think too many people wear it as an accessory without knowing what the symbols really mean. It's kind of offensive to see strong symbols being taken so lightly."
— @lennygrams
Bony Levy necklace.
"I have an amazing cross necklace I love wearing that was my mother's. I was raised Catholic and have quite the collection of cross necklaces, but I don't necessarily wear them as a religious symbol now. I love how they look layered with other gold necklaces, and see the ones I wear now as an ode to Carmela Soprano who always wore one (she's an underrated style icon, to be honest)."
— @colourwars
Tiffany & Co. necklace.
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