Ethiopian Coptic Cross Amulet

Hefty tube bail sits on top of arms that swell like a trumpet bell.

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. Silver crosses of this kind were often made by hand-working or casting metal, sometimes from melted coins, which gave smiths a familiar and portable source of silver. Flared arms taper to a narrow center, the lower arm broad and flat-ended. The surface is smooth and dark grey with one small dent below the center. A thick rolled loop at the top carries a few scratched marks. It is 1.5 inches long and 2 high.

Built with the gravity of something meant to be worn daily.