Pick the cross or Jesus piece first, then gold or silver, the chain, the size and stones
Choose the figure first. A plain cross carries none, a crucifix carries Christ on the cross, and a Jesus piece shows him without the cross. Then let the weight pick the chain. A light cross rides a thin chain, and a heavy Jesus head wants a thick Franco or a Cuban. Most pieces come alone, so the chain is yours to choose.
Cross or Jesus piece: cross pendants, crucifixes, Jesus pieces and saints
Pick by what you want to wear. A plain cross carries no figure. On a crucifix, the figure of Christ hangs on the cross. A Jesus piece shows Christ without the cross, his face or his whole figure, and runs larger and heavier. Some titles say crucifix without naming Jesus, so check the photo. St. Lazarus, the Last Supper and the Virgin Mary have pieces of their own. In gold, buyers chose crosses most. In silver, they chose crucifixes and Jesus pieces, mostly as sets on their chains. The men's cross pendants and men's Jesus pendants guides go further.
Gold or silver: 14K gold cross, 10K gold, .925 silver Jesus piece
Buy 14K if the piece will never come off. Seven listings in ten are 14K. 10K has less gold in it, so its yellow is paler, and a few pieces come in 18K, the deeper yellow. All the silver is .925 sterling. By the piece, silver sold most, nearly half of everything bought, and most of that silver went out as sets. Most gold pieces come in all three colors, yellow, white and rose.
The chain: cross necklace with chain, Jesus piece chain, which chain to wear
Most pieces come alone. About one in eight is a set, sold on its chain, and its listing shows it with set, chain or necklace in the title, or a chain length to pick. A listing with neither is the pendant alone. Most sets let you choose from 18 to 24 inches. Where a light cross set names its chain's width, it is 1 to 2 mm. The silver crucifix sets come on a Franco, a Cuban or a moon cut. The heaviest silver Jesus head comes on a Cuban, the next on a 5 mm Franco. Where a pendant's listing suggests a chain, it is most often a rope or a Franco. No listing gives the bail's opening, so send the live chat your chain's width, or after 10 AM ET text it to 212-872-9692.
Inches and grams: small cross pendant, large Jesus piece, how heavy each is
Buy by inches and grams, since the size words do not agree from one listing to the next. Most crosses are an inch wide or less. The middle one weighs about 7 grams. The middle Jesus piece is bigger, 1.2 inches wide. It weighs about 31 grams, so give it a strong chain. A piece hangs a little under twice as long as it is wide. Light pieces sell most, and the middle pendant sold weighed under 6 grams.
Diamonds: diamond cross pendant, diamond Jesus piece, lab-grown or natural
The diamonds are some grown in a lab and some mined, and nearly every listing names which, mined on most. Where a listing names its origin, go by that line. Where it names none, ask us before you pay. Ask about any black diamond too, since most black diamonds on the market are treated for their color. More than half the titles carry diamonds, and sapphire leads the colored stones.