Place around the Neck: White Gold Cross Pendants

Well before man first started placing golden objects on a chain, a chain that goes around the neck, artists and artisans alike seemed to harbor a fascination for the symbol formed by crossed bars. Consequently, the discovery of white gold eventually led to production of white gold cross pendants. Over the centuries that simple symbol has undergone numerous adaptations, some of which appear among the most recent white gold neck accessories.

An online shopper can view a few such adaptations by typing the phrase “apples of gold” into the proper space on a search engine. That clue should lead the shopper to two sets of white gold crosses. One set contains pendants meant for men; the other has similar items that were designed for women.



One of the items in the former set contains three white gold nails. In that piece, those three nails remain held together through use of white gold ties.  A variety of additional crosses fall under the category of “apples of gold” for men. They include a Celtic cross, one that clearly supports the ancient belief that the world ought to be viewed as divided into four sections.

In the latter set, women can discover the unusual cross named “harmony.” It features two separate curved bars. One appears to travel down and to the left; the other up and to the right.  A single diamond rests between those two bars.

The other offering that is available to any female shopper displays the variety of ways by which white gold can be used in a religious symbol. In one highly polished piece, the cross’ two bars are both a full 2.2 mm thick. In a second, they have been covered with turquoise and given diamond tips. Other white and golden crosses have been decorated with blue diamonds, sapphires or emeralds.

Yet white gold does not always take the form of a bar, even when used in a cross. Some metal working experts know how to create a lace like pendant, or one that features “stitched gold.” At the other extreme are pieces for a less delicate woman. The female who elects to buy one of those latter items feels content to wear a rustic looking cross, one with bud like tips.

The pendants described above offer just a hint of the various ways by which jewelers have used white gold in an object that is meant to hang on a chain or rope. Frequently, jewelers choose to modify the cross’ tips. For example, one white metal cross has yellow gold tips. Other pendants highlight the varied adaptations that have been created by altering a certain piece’s intersecting units.

Some of the pieces that strong believers wear today have a distinctly antique look. Others have ornately engraved borders. A third type of pendant copies the look of a traditional bow. In addition, still another collection of pendants resembles the ancient Claddagh cross. Like the Celtic cross, it too has a circle around the point where the two bars intersect.