Translation Russian on antique gold cross pendant please.

@Figtree3 here is the pendant I mentioned in another thread.
Antique Russian, 56 zolotniki, which is 583 gold (ca 14k). Small, all of 24 mm high.
The colours are a bit strange, it is evening here. It just came in and I am too impatient.
Two symbols on the front, something like Alpha-Omega (I am the beginning and the end) symbolism?
The inscription on the back is worn, maybe Holy Cross ....?

And if anyone knows the maker, EL, if I am correct.
Thank you for looking.

 

NOT A CLUE, but since i read the post i figure a bump can't hurt

 

It looks like a recycled piece,possibly a larger piece with full inscription made into a cross.

 

Could be.

 

Thanks!
If you want to learn about obscure jewellery, watch my threads. My avatar name isn't Any Jewelry for nothing.

 

Sees that! but, if it's not early furniture, it's just not happening over here! RIVEN!

 

Riveting, whether early jewellery or early furniture.

 

No rivets in that cross! I agree that it looks like someone used a previously used piece of gold and cut the cross out of it. Oddly, the inscription is in more Latin script. It does look hand made; I had a Navajo one done about the same way in silver. Someone cut it out of a sheet and added the bail by hand. No one signed it either, dagnabbit. Those marks on the front were tooled in by hand.

 

Some older Native American jewellery is made from re-purposed silver. That is seen in older ethnic jewellery in many parts of the world.
And of course old Navajo pieces are rarely signed. To me they are signed by beauty, that's good enough for me.

Written Cyrillic looks a lot like Latin script. The second last letter in the long word looks like a Russian H, our n.
I was struck by the word 'cinto' (sinto), which I know from my scant knowledge of Romany as 'saint' (in Romany). It is probably cmto or something else, but Romany did borrow words from the areas the Gypsies passed during their long travels from India to Western Europe, Russia included.

Yes, it is entirely handmade.
This one is of a similar style and age, check out the price, I don't know if the seller actually wants to sell.....:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/542685...y=antique+russian+gold+cross&ref=sr_gallery_4

 

Let me Translate that for you
I ain't furniture, I ain't riven and I ain't HAPPENING!
That's what it says in old furniture lingo!

Jesus, over $1000 on etsy? uhhhhhhh nooooooooooo

 

Antique Russian gold is worth a lot, but not that much. To me that is just a fancy price.

 

Sorry for the delay -- It looks like the metal was cut from a larger piece, because the words are cut off and I don't think there are any complete words there. The most complete word, the second on the arms of the cross, appears to start with Спа or Спо and also includes ни. Could be a version of the word спасание, which means "rescuing" or "life-saving." However, since that word is not normally capitalized, I'm not sure. Unless it were an attribute or something. By that I mean, calling somebody the "Rescuer" or something like that.

The word before that appears to end with сть. This reminds me of an infinitive form of a verb, but could be something else.

Sorry, the best I can do!

 

Thanks @Figtree3 , happy with any input. It certainly confirms that it was made from a larger piece. Do you think the word could mean saviour?

 

Good thought! But I find that the word for savior/saviour is спаситель, and the word on your cross doesn't seem to completely match up with that. I don't see a т, for example and there would be extra lettering near the beginning when compared to спаситель -- but it does seem to be a word with the same idea.

 

Thanks, Fig. You're right, there is no т. But something to do with rescue is good on a cross.
Russians were always deeply religious, and little things could mean a lot. Maybe this was made from another cross, broken, but with sentimental value. If the original piece was just anything, they would have had it melted down to make something else, I think.

What are your thoughts on the two letters on the front?

 

They are worn, and I can't really tell what they are. The one to the right might be an A but I'm not sure!

 

Yes, it is an oldie, and worn. But thank you for your help.

 

Probably it is крест есть спасение наше which means "Cross is our saviour" (cross here may mean Christ?)

 

Thank you aussie, that makes sense. I can see how that could have been the complete text.

Cross is our saviour could mean Christ, but also the sign of the cross itself.
The power of the sign of the cross is an old concept in Christianity, after the vision of the cross Constantine, the first Christian Roman emperor, is said to have had.
The cross in the vision bore the Greek text ἐν τούτῳ νίκα, 'in this conquer'. It is often translated as 'in this sign you will conquer'. Constantine conquered, and converted to Christianity.

Welcom to the forum, aussie, looking forward to more insightful contributions.

 

@aussie , are you of Russian descent? And Aussie?