From gold-laced Mayan and Aztec pyramids to ornamented holy buildings in Thailand, gold has played an incredibly powerful world role in determining and encouraging faith. Gold religious jewelry from ancient Egypt--such as incarnations of falcons and scarab beetles--today can fetch tens of thousands of dollars from dedicated religious jewelry collectors. Although golden Islamic jewelry is forbidden by law in some parts of the Muslim world, you can discover troves of precious Middle Eastern faith jewelry. The prayer watch is a very popular modern Islamic piece. This watch indicates when to pray to Mecca during the day. Jews also employ gold to create pieces of religious jewelry, such as Stars of David, menorahs, and mezuzahs. Christian jewelry makers regularly turn out millions of rosary beads, crucifixes, baptismal pins, lapel pins, and the like.
In some cultures and religions, wearing gold religious jewelry may be taken as a sign of ostentation, and may even be seen as offensive. The Amish of Pennsylvania, for instance, refuse to adorn themselves with showy jewelry.
Given gold's long history as a shaper of religious artifacts, you can unearth ancient items of faith. Bear in mind that gold is an incredibly ductile material. If you purchase gold religious jewelry, be sure not to subject your metals to high tensile forces, as doing so can damage inscriptions and reduce value. You may also wish to inquire about metallic purity before you invest in an online offering.