By Classique Jewelry Inc. | Bronx, NY | Est. 1992
A saint medal is small enough to hide under a collar, and it can carry more meaning than anything else a person wears. Each saint stands for someone, or something, the wearer cares about. Here is what the medals we carry most of mean, and how to choose one.
WHAT DOES A SAINT MEDAL MEAN?
A saint medal carries the image of a saint, and the person wearing it is asking that saint to pray for them or to watch over them. Each saint is the traditional patron of certain people or needs: Saint Christopher for travelers, Saint Michael for police officers and soldiers, Saint Anthony for things that are lost. Choosing a medal usually means choosing the saint whose patronage fits the person who will wear it.
Saint medals are among the most personal pieces we sell. They are given at a baptism, a first communion or a confirmation, to a new driver, to someone leaving for the service or for a new job far from home. Many are worn every day for decades, and many people have theirs blessed by a priest before they put it on. Most carry a short prayer around the edge, "Pray for us" or "Protect us", and a few of ours carry it in Spanish, "Ruega por nosotros".
The patronages below are the traditional ones, the reasons people have reached for each saint for generations. Your parish can tell you much more about any of them.
Saint Christopher is the patron saint of travelers. The story told about him is that he carried a child across a dangerous river, and the child turned out to be Christ. That is the scene on almost every Christopher medal: a tall figure with a staff, wading through water with a child on his shoulder.
It is the medal people give to someone setting out: a teenager with a new license, a family member moving away, anyone who drives for a living, a soldier or sailor. It is also the saint we carry the most of, in silver and in gold, small enough for a child and large enough to wear on its own.
Shop Saint Christopher medals in sterling silver, 14k yellow gold, 14k white gold, 14k two tone gold or 18k gold.
Saint Jude, also called Jude Thaddeus, was one of the twelve apostles, not to be confused with Judas, who betrayed Jesus. He is the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes, the saint people turn to when everything else has been tried.
A Saint Jude medal is often bought during a hard stretch: an illness in the family, a job lost, a long wait for news. It is also worn in thanks once that stretch is over. He is usually shown holding a medallion bearing the face of Jesus, with a small flame above his head.
Shop Saint Jude medals in sterling silver, 14k yellow gold, 14k white gold or 14k two tone gold.
Saint Michael is an archangel rather than a saint who lived on earth, and he is the patron of police officers and of soldiers. He is shown with wings and a sword, standing over the devil he has defeated, which is why he stands for protection against danger.
Police officers, members of the military and their families wear him most. Some of our Saint Michael medals are made in the shape of a police badge, and others carry the words land, sea and air for the branches of the service.
Shop Saint Michael medals in sterling silver, 14k yellow gold or 14k white gold.
Saint Florian is the patron saint of firefighters. He is usually shown pouring a bucket of water onto a burning building.
His medals are easy to spot, because most are made in the shape of the cross on a fire department badge, often with the letters FD at the top. They are worn by firefighters and their families, and given when a firefighter graduates from the academy.
Shop Saint Florian medals in sterling silver, 14k yellow gold or 14k white gold.
Saint Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of lost things. Plenty of people who have never owned a saint medal still say a quick prayer to him while hunting for their keys.
People wear him for bigger losses too: someone who has drifted away from the family, a sense of direction, faith itself. On the medal he is usually shown holding the child Jesus, and often a lily.
Shop Saint Anthony medals in sterling silver, 14k yellow gold or 14k white gold.
The Saint Benedict medal is one of the oldest and most recognizable Catholic medals. The front shows Saint Benedict holding a cross. The back carries a cross surrounded by letters, the initials of a Latin prayer asking for protection against evil.
It is worn for protection more than for any one group of people, and it often appears set into a crucifix or a rosary as well as on its own as a round medal.
Shop Saint Benedict medals in 14k two tone gold.
Saint Joseph was the husband of Mary and the foster father of Jesus, and he worked as a carpenter. He is the patron of fathers, of families and of workers.
That makes him a natural gift for a new father, for a father on Father's Day, or for anyone starting a trade. On the medal he usually holds the child Jesus, sometimes with a lily or a carpenter's tool.
Shop Saint Joseph medals in sterling silver, 14k yellow gold or 14k white gold.
We carry many other saints in smaller numbers. These are the ones people ask about most, with the traditional patronage of each:
Many people also choose a medal for the saint they are named after, or the one they took at confirmation. If the saint you want is not on this list, ask us. We may well carry it.
Once you know the saint, there are four choices left, and none of them is complicated.
The metal. Sterling silver keeps the cost low and suits a first medal or a child's medal. 14k gold, in yellow or white, is the one meant to be worn every day for a lifetime. We explained what is on the surface of most silver medals in Rhodium Plated Sterling Silver: What Is Under the Shine.
Hollow or solid. Many gold medals say hollow or solid in the name. A hollow medal is lighter and costs less. A solid one is heavier and stands up better to knocks, which matters on a medal that will be worn every day.
The size. Sizes are given in millimeters. Around 15 millimeters is small and delicate, good for a child or for wearing alongside other pieces. Around 25 millimeters and up is a medal meant to be seen on its own.
The chain. Most of our saint medals are sold as the medal alone, so you can choose the chain. Pick one sturdy enough to carry the medal's weight, especially for a large gold medal worn every day. You can browse them in our chain necklaces.
A saint medal is a small thing to buy and a large thing to give. Start with the person: who they are, what they do, what they are facing. The right saint usually follows from that.
You can see every saint we carry in our saint medal collection. If you are looking for a particular saint, call the shop at (718) 405 1687 and ask for Lancelot, or visit us at 4248 White Plains Road in the Bronx, Monday to Saturday, 11:30 AM to 7:00 PM.
Classique Jewelry Inc. is a family owned jeweler on White Plains Road in the Bronx, NY, founded in 1992. This post is general information about saint medals and the traditional patronage of each saint, not religious instruction. Your parish is the best place to learn more about any saint.
By Classique Jewelry Inc. | Bronx, NY | Est. 1992 ❖ A saint medal is small enough to hide under a collar, and it can...
By Classique Jewelry Inc. | Bronx, NY | Est. 1992 ❖ Read the name of almost any silver piece in a jewelry case and you...
