Ethiopian Coptic Cross Amulet

Rows of hammered dimples march down the arms like rivets on a very small bridge.

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. Straight arms of equal width are covered in punched round dimples set in tidy lines. The metal is bright and pale with a slightly rough, cast look. A flattened tube loop rolls over at the top. It is 1.5 inches long and 2 high.

Somebody enjoyed the punch far more than strictly necessary.