Ethiopian Coptic Cross Amulet

Dark and rosy-brown, with rows of tiny punched dashes and a reddish edge at the top.

This coptic cross amulet is Ethiopian Orthodox, from Ethiopia, East Africa, and dates to the 19th or early 20th century. It is coin silver & fine silver. Ethiopian Orthodox Christians have long worn crosses in many openwork patterns, and the designs vary by region, workshop and the silversmith who made them. Flared arms and a narrow center are covered in rows of tiny punched dashes. The surface is a deep brown, almost bruised in tone, with a thin red line along the upper edge. A rolled loop sits above. It is 1.5 inches long and 2 high.

Dressed for dusk and not shy about it.