Stainless Steel Classic Celtic Cross Necklace Black Grooving

Stunning, heavy, solid, tough! stainless steel Celtic cross necklace for men.

• Stainless steel
• Height: 53 mm / 2.08”
• Width: 30 mm / 1.18”
• Weight: 19.6 g

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HISTORY OF THE CELTIC CROSS
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The Celtic Cross first appeared in Ireland and Britain during the early Middle Ages, when missionaries were busy planting the roots of Christianity among Celtic populations. The style represents a unity of Christian and Celtic motifs - after all, early missionaries are largely responsible for recording and thus preserving many Celtic customs and artwork. This hybrid art form is known as insular art (from 'insula', the Latin for 'island').

The cross typically features a nimbus - a ring around the intersection - which also provides support. Its true origin is unknown, though some historians have suggested it may have originally represented the Roman sun god Invictus.

The most famous surviving versions of these crosses are found in the monumental stone 'high crosses' erected from the 9th-12th centuries, which also depicted stylized Biblical scenes. Though insular art would later be overtaken by Romanesque art, it earned a comeback with the 'Celtic Revival' of the 19th Century, during a time when Ireland was rediscovering its heritage.

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HISTORY OF THE ‘TRINITY KNOT’
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The leaf-life trinity knot, or triquetra (from the Latin 'three-cornered), was used by early Christians to represent the Holy Trinity, though the symbol has its roots in earlier pre-Christian religions, possibly existing thousands of years beforehand. Being such as versatile symbol, the triquetra has countless interpretations - the number three was an important number in Celtic symbolism, so possible meanings also include the unity of the earth/sea/sky, the three stages of life, or various triple-deities.

The symbol came to prominence during the period of 'insular art' in the early middle ages, which combined early Christian and Celtic art. Some of its most famous incarnations are found within the artwork of the Book of Kells. It was popularized again during the Celtic Revival of the 19th century.