Religious themed jewelry has been around ever since there have been religions. Today, the most popular type of religious jewelry is cross jewelry. Most of the Western Hemisphere follows the Judeo-Christian religious influences. Of course there are many sects and denominations in Christianity as well as many other cultural influences.

This diversity in Christianity is reflected in an enormous variety of design in the simple symbol that is the cross. You would be hard-pressed to find a single jeweler that did not carry cross jewelry of one kind or another.

Basic cross styles like the classic crucifix with Christ figure to the right  are ubiquitous and the more theme oriented designs are carried by specialty stores.

Celtic cross jewelry is one theme oriented design that shows up over and over in ancient and modern day cross jewelry.

The identifying characteristic of the Celtic cross is the inscribed circle around the center of the cross. The meaning of this circle has been debated for centuries but is often thought to represent the endlessness of God’s love. It has also been said that the ring represents the halo of Christ.

Whatever the meaning, this circle is the main differentiator in Celtic cross jewelry. The other differentiator is of course the Celtic knot pattern that covers the surface of the cross.

Check out the Celtic cross to the left and note the detailed Celtic Knot patterns.  Gemstones suit this style of cross just fine so long as there are not too many of them to overpower the detailed Celtic Styling.

Gemstones can be put anywhere in this style. Small diamonds can be pave mounted in the circle portion only for a stunning Celtic Crucifix.

Maltese cross jewelry is another very popular cross style that people like to wear. Unlike the more benign symbolism of the Celtic cross, the Maltese cross symbolizes the group of Christian warriors commonly called the Knights of Malta.

Crosses that came about since the first Crusade are commonly eight pointed with two V points sticking out from each arm of the cross. The eight points represent chivalric virtues commonly adhered to by Christians of this period.

The silver cross pendant to the left is of a Medieval style that also displays the familiar double knifed styling of the Maltese style although this is not a Maltese cross in its purest sense since the arms of the cross are actually Fleur De Lis.

The most popular forms of cross jewelry include cross pendants, cross rings and cross earrings. Cross pendants have been the most visible and ubiquitous type of cross jewelry that is normally seen in a jewelry store and on people.

Cross pendants have always been popular because people like to keep this symbol close to their hearts literally and figuratively.

Gold cross jewelry is more seen in the form of a charm or pendant. People prefer to use a precious metal when wearing a cross and the more expensive the better. Although the first preference would be gold people increasingly like to wear silver cross jewelry. This is because there is so much variety in cross jewelry that many people like to wear a different style in cross necklace jewelry. They like to change the style according to their attire or according to how they feel that day.

Increasingly the more modern type of crucifix is favored by men in alternative metals like stainless steel and Titanium. The cross to the right is a masculine style made from stainless steel and blackened titanium. It has a fresh, edgy look that men like to wear.

Diamond cross jewelry has been quite popular for people who want to add precious stones to their cross pendants. The popular types of diamonds added are usually round diamonds of various sizes. People like diamonds in their cross jewelry because it makes the cross more visible and also because it makes for a nice piece of jewelry whether as a pendant or necklace. You will rarely see cross is used in bracelets unless it’s a charm bracelet with crosses dangling from it. For many people who actively follow their Christian religion, nothing beats a diamond cross as a symbol of their faith and as a fine piece of jewelry.

Crystal jewelry is an affordable alternative to precious jewelry and is quite trendy since it is more fashion oriented than symbolically oriented.  If you plan to give a gift of fine jewelry made with precious metals and genuine gemstones it will usually be in response to the special occasion of a loved one. It can be a bar or bat mitsvah, a communion, the birth of a child, an anniversary or any of the other myriad occasions that come up in the Western calender.

These occasions take into account the preferences of the giftee but overall a gift of fine jewelry is meant to be worn irrespective of fashion and more with an eye for the memory of the occasion and the giver of the gift.

However jewelry can also be a fashion accessory like a pocket book, a handbag or a belt. Crystal jewelry is this type of accessory partly because it is relatively easy to make for manufacturers and beading experts who work from home.  So this jewelry has a more of a chance to follow the latest fashion trends and will also more likely be a self purchase that a woman or young girl makes to accessorize part of her wardrobe.

Many years ago we would associate man made crystal with things like expensive stemware and items for the home like vases, figurines and decanters.  Indeed Swarovskli, the well known crystal manufacturer’s claim to fame is its line of faceted crystal figurines that grace the homes of many people. Nowadays the company is more known for its Austrian Crystal Jewelry.

It makes a huge selection of faceted beads in all kinds of colors and configurations and has a huge supply operation that keeps many crystal fashion jewelry designers and work from home handmade crystal jewelry makers topped up with their incredible variety of crystal beads. Theyalso manufacture their own line of crystal jewelry.

They are well known for their bridesmaids crystal jewelry and flower girls crystal jewelry. Most bridesmaids look forward to their gifts of jewelry from the bride which usually consists of pearl jewelry. However nowadays crystal jewelry sets are more in vogue, especially if they are younger bridesmaids that are fairly fashion forward and like fun and colorful jewelry in matching suites using colors like Swarovski Lite Colorado Crystals. Check out the Lite Colorado Stud earrings and necklace to the top right. These make great informal gifts for young girls.

Apart from the manufactured crystal jewelry there is also the natural crystal jewelry like wire wrapped crystal pendants using natural quartz crystal, kunzite crytsal and topaz crystal among others. The focus here is on the metaphysical properties of crystals as new age jewelry is known for.

Such crystals used in jewelry are classified according to their properties and the wearer will benefit from wearing healing crystals in a pendant around their neck. You have general healing crystals like quartz and others like chakra cleansing crystals, aura cleansing crystals and crystals that disperse negative energy.Check out the natural amethyst crystal pendant to the left below.

As baby boomers age and begin to depend on their pets for company as their homes turn to empty nests, they’re beginning to spend more and more on fancier fare for their dogs. From organic dog food, professional grooming and of course, jewelry. Dog jewelry comes in many forms. Although I wouldn’t call a basic dog collar jewelry, there are certainly dog collars that are studded with everything from rhinestones to diamonds. There is more selection of jewelry for dogs now than there ever has been.

Jeweled collars are perhaps the first piece of jewelry that a dog owner will buy for their dog. Glitzy Canine Couture Collars come in all different types of looks from collars with mohair and charms to mesh collars with slide on initial charms. It all depends on the size and breed of the particular dog to determine what will turn your dog from a pooch to a glam dog. Toy breeds will look good in pearl pet collars while larger breeds will look good in more rugged mesh collars that can be blinged out with crystals and dangle charms.

There is also room for the socially conscious dog. Breast Cancer Awareness dog collars and leashes may be purchased and some percentage, usually ten or fifteen of each pink ribbon collar or leash would be donated to the foundation for cancer research. Breast Cancer Awareness dog collars in pink ribbon nylon are comfortable to wear and have a side release buckle and the all purpose D-jump ring so you can attach dog ID tags and leashes. Of course the term dog tag jewelry has more to do with mens jewelry than dog jewelry

Larger or more aggressive dogs like pit bulls, dobermans and bull dogs and other exotic pets with strong personalities like Gila monsters would do well with spiked dog collars to give them even more character and oomph. For small dogs or toy dogs that want to look more fierce some but still look like a glam dog, there is the smaller version of the spike leather dog collar in pastel pinks, mauves and sky blue with smaller spikes and square rivets or the more popular and with it  rhinestone studded dog collar.

For themselves, nothing speaks of a dog lover’s priorities than dog breed jewelry. Dog jewelry for people is all the rage with many designers doing great work to identify all the breeds popular in the Western hemisphere.

Some of the more common breeds that you find in dog breed jewelry charms are Bassett Hound Dog Charm, Beagle Dog Charm,Boston Terrier, Bull Dog Charm, Chihuahua Dog Charm, Collie Dog Charm, Cocker Spaniel Dog Charm, Dachshund Dog Charm, German Shepherd Dog Charm, Greyhound Dog Charm, Irish Setter Dog Charm, Husky Dog Charm, Jack Russell Terrier Dog Charm, Newfoundland Dog Charm, Pit Bull Dog Charm, Poodle Dog Charm, Pomeranian Dog Charm, Pug Dog Charm, Retriever Dog Charms, Schnauzer Dog Charm, Scottish Terrier Dog charm, Scotty Dog Charm, Spaniel Dog Charm, Shit-zu Dog Charm, Shar-Pei Dog Charm and Toy Poodle Dog Charm. These are just some of the basic breeds As dog lover jewelry goes. There are many others along with designers that do very detailed work in terms of dog charms and gold dog jewelry.

Designer dog jewelry is best represented by the work of Meche dog and cat charms. Meche charms are stunningly realistic and three dimensional depictions of various breeds of dogs. Each charm shows the unique character and detailed coloring of more than 130 breeds of dog. Another great dog jewelry designer is Esquivel and Fees.

Horse jewelry is not necessarily just for horse lovers although horse lovers will know a bit more about horses and be quite picky when it comes to selecting their horse jewelry. Yellow gold horse jewelry is quite popular because it is not as bright as white gold and details of the horse’s features that identify the kind of horse it is, is more easily seen in yellow gold. Whether it be a Draft, Quarter Horse, Arabian, Morgan  or other type of horse, the beauty is in the details for the horse lover.

Sterling silver horse jewelry affords the non avid horse lover to collect all manner of horse jewelry for a reasonable price. Most gold horse jewelry has an equivalent in sterling silver because the same mold used to shoot a wax for a gold casting can be used for a silver one. With  sterling silver horse jewelry a bit of skillful antiquing or black rhodium a jeweler can often bring a horse bust to life. Relief that was not so visible because of an all bright finish can now be highlighted with blackened silver.

The most popular type of horse jewelry is Arabian horse jewelry partly because it is the most recognized breed from its facial to body details. This type of horse jewelry is commonly available in single busts multiple busts showing race horses going neck and neck. This can be a particularly challenging piece to design because a designer wants to get the facial details just right to show the the power and elegance of horses in motion.

The horse as a Celtic symbol was associated with war, victory, longevity and strength. The Celts  considered the horse as an animal that belongs to the sun god and gave it a place with the goddess Epona. So it is not surprising to see horse designs on Celtic horse jewelry.To the Celts horses were noble beasts.

Diamond horse jewelry can be quite expressive, especially when diamonds are used for the eyes of the horse. Some hip hop jewelry pendants depict horses and as you can imagine, they are covered in diamonds so the eyes of the horse are often set with ruby, emerald or sapphire.

There can be a lot of freedom to horse design especially hen it comes to jewelry. Some designs can be dome by hand at a jewelers bench with just a jeweler’s saw. Some designs may have a lot of negative space like filigree horses or pendants that just have the mere suggestion of the outlines of a horse head.

Horse jewelry rings are quite popular although the designs have to rendered at a smaller scale than pendants. Coins from ancient Rome and Greece often have a horse on one side of the coin and many horse lovers like to collect these coins and mount them in rings with the horse side of the coin facing outward.

There is nothing like Irish wedding rings to accompany an Irish wedding celebration. Wedding traditions run deep among the Irish because there is much folklore and ancient culture surrounding an Irish wedding. Many Irish couples to be like to choose the attire, decor, music, vows and toasts to have them reflect the Irish sense of style and sensibility. From Irish wedding gowns all the way to the organ music for mass many Irish wedding planners want these things to be distinctly Irish. Similarly there is no reason to exclude the wedding rings as there is an abundance of online and offline stores where Celtic Irish wedding rings abound.

Popular white gold wedding rings like Irish claddagh wedding rings take their inspiration from the traditional claddagh ring with the tender symbols of the crowned heart and hands which are often given in the spirit of romantic love. These symbols are meant to show loyalty and true everlasting love. They may adorn a gold band in a two tone configuration with the symbols crafted in white gold and laid on top of a gold band. It’s not really an eternity band since the symbol does not repeat but appears once and that is the top of the ring. This band could be part of what are known as Irish wedding ring sets where the other half of the set would be the engagement ring.

In this ring the shoulders would be decorated with an abbreviated version of the symbol on either side of the ring giving it symmetry. These would lead in from the shoulders to the actual prong setting or head where the diamond would be mounted. These rings could be worn together or separately. They don’t have to match exactly as long as the symbolism is the same.

Another commonly used symbol in traditional Irish wedding rings is the trinity love knot. This is a version of the Celtic knot symbol which is the most recognizable symbol  in Celtic history. It is also referred to as the mystic knot or the endless knot because we cannot see a beginning or an end and therefore we are reminded of the timeless nature of our spirit and our love. It also can represent on a more secular level an uninterrupted cycle of life and so may be used as a sort of amulet or charm to ward off sickness or misfortune that would interfere with the stability of life. In this way you see this symbol used as emblems in clothing, jewelry and home items. These kinds of items given as gifts with Celtic knot decoration are meant to convey best wishes of longevity or good fortune with new ventures.

Men’s Irish wedding rings use the common symbols like the Celtic Knot in its various forms and the Claddagh. There is also the symbol of the Celtic warrior shield symbol whose inspiration comes from the Ardagh Chalice. This is one of the most revered pieces of Celtic art to be created in Ireland and dates all the way back to the 8th century. The celtic shield wedding rings gets their design from the gold filigree band of the chalice. These are available as mens Irish wedding rings as well as women’s with the shield in a prominent position on top of the ring with the other designs on the chalice going around the band.

Another type of mens Irish wedding ring is one that has inscriptions of Gaelic writing going around it interspersed with the symbol of the claddagh. Some of the inscriptions like the Gra Dilseacht Cairdeas which means love loyalty and friendship are particularly meaningful in the context of Irish wedding ring sets. Then you have the Gra Geal Mo Chroi which translates to “love of my life”. These types of wedding rings are available as gold or silver Irish wedding rings in case your budget is a bit stretched for the wedding expenses and you need a cheap Irish wedding ring to serve a temporary purpose till you can afford a gold Irish wedding ring costing hundreds of dollars.