An engraved platinum cross necklace is the kind of gift people wear and cherish long after the gift wrapping is gone. The metal is dense and naturally white, hypoallergenic, and platinum holds up to decades – if not generations – of wear. However, choosing the right font requires a few decisions: consider the size of the cross, the inscription limits for such a small space, and what special meaning you want to convey in your personalized message.
For a platinum cross, I would settle on the person before settling on the design. Take a graduation gift, for instance. The young man receiving it may have worn the same small cross since childhood. A larger one might please him enormously. He may also have very firm views about keeping the size just as it is. A question over breakfast could settle that, without giving away everything about the gift.
Then comes the inscription. Here the person buying the gift has a little more freedom. The front of the cross will be seen by other people. The back can hold words intended for its owner alone.
For the inscription itself, my vote would go to a name with its proper date underneath. Or simply “Love, Mom.” Parents sometimes have quite a speech in mind when giving a child something to keep. The accompanying letter can carry the speech. On the jewelry, those two words may do the job beautifully.
What to Look for in Platinum Cross Necklaces
First, the metal. Platinum is naturally white and notably dense. The number 950, common in platinum jewelry descriptions, means 95% platinum in the alloy. If you choose an unplated piece, its underlying white color is the color of the metal itself.
That accounts for part of the attraction. The rest comes down to the individual cross.
While comparing Platinum Cross Necklaces, I would keep three specifications beside the photographs: height, thickness and gram weight. A photograph can make almost anything look substantial. Ask what the height measures, too: the cross alone, or the cross plus the little loop on top? That loop is the bail. If you’re picturing the pendant against a shirt, you’ll want the measurement of the whole thing.
Ask about the back. Really, ask to see it. The reverse may be flat, recessed, curved or worked with a design of its own, and the amount of usable engraving space follows from that. You can save a fair amount of disappointment by checking before you’ve become attached to a particular pendant.
There is also the business of the chain. Does the quoted purchase include one? Will your existing chain fit? Remember that the end of the chain has to get through the loop as well. I’d send the jeweler a note with the chain details before placing the order. A cross and chain should be chosen as a working pair.
You can choose a fully solid piece with considerable heft, if you enjoy that. I would be quite content with a smaller cross that felt right against a shirt. The owner will be living with it long after the gift has been opened.
Names, Dates and Bible Verses for Cross Engraving
Here is an inscription to imagine on an order form: “For Daniel, on your baptism, with all our love.” Written in a card, it looks perfectly ordinary. Across a small cross, it’s asking quite a lot of the available space.
“Daniel” and the date may be enough. You haven’t lost the rest of the message; you can write it out and give it to him with the necklace. In fact, you now have room to say rather more. Tell him why you chose the cross, what you prayed for him, what you hope he’ll remember about that day.
Bible references work well for a similar reason. There is quite a lot behind those few characters. An engraver can put “John 3:16” on the cross; the conversation when you give it could begin with why you picked that verse in the first place. Was it one your father taught you? Have you gone back to it during a difficult year?
For my own list of possible inscriptions, I would also write down 1 John 4:19: “We love him, because he first loved us.” (KJV.) It is short enough to tempt you into asking for every word, though I would want the engraver’s opinion on that. The reference by itself is a good choice when the lettering would otherwise become cramped.
Dates require a different sort of care. If half your family reads 10/12 as October 12 and half reads it as December 10, spelling out the month will save some confusion. I would send the inscription with its capitals and punctuation already in place, and ask for that exact text to be confirmed. Memory is a poor proofreader.
Once you’ve narrowed the choice to two or three Platinum Cross Necklaces, take your proposed wording back to the jeweler. Where would the name go on each one? I would want to see Daniel written out, including that capital D, before deciding whether script was the right choice. An alphabet on a sample sheet doesn’t quite answer the question.
Wearing an Engraved Platinum Cross for Decades
I’d expect a frequently worn cross to look worn eventually. With platinum, the polished surface can take on the soft sheen called patina. Whether you enjoy that is something you can decide as it happens. Have a jeweler look at the piece if you want its earlier polish back, and make sure they know the inscription matters to you.
Bring the chain along to be checked when the cross goes to the jeweler. I would ask about cleaning at the same visit, especially if there were stones to account for. At home, a pouch tucked into a drawer makes a good place to put the necklace when it comes off. It keeps the cross away from the earrings and bracelets that might otherwise rub against it.
And somewhere in the box, perhaps under the padding, I’d slip a note.
Something as plain as “Given to Daniel by his parents on his baptism day” would help. Add the year. Add a sentence about why you chose that particular Scripture, if you wish. Imagine a granddaughter opening the box many years afterwards: she knows who Daniel was, but the date means nothing to her. Now she has an answer in your handwriting.
This is part of the appeal of choosing Platinum Jewelry with engraving. The cross declares faith in Christ, and on the back you have a place for Daniel’s name, or your mother’s, or the verse that keeps coming to mind as you read this.
And years later, when somebody asks about the inscription, you can turn the cross over and tell them.
