Antique Art Deco (1920s) German Silver (Nickel Silver) 1.5”/3.5cm Wide St Joseph Pendant / Medallion (12.57g).

Lovely antique St Joseph pendant in excellent condition. Very detailed and superb quality. Please browse all 12 photographs for size, weight and condition as they are self explanatory.

Nickel Silver or German silver is a tarnish resistant alloy of copper, zinc and nickel, sometimes also containing tin. It was originally named for its silver-white colour. Although it was called German silver, the name is deceiving as it actually has no silver content.

Nickel silver was first known and used in China. During the Qing dynasty. German metalworks were able to produce a similar alloy and In 1823 a German competition was held to perfect the production process: the goal was to develop an alloy that possessed the closest visual similarity to silver. The brothers Henniger in Berlin and Ernst August Geitner in Schneeberg independently achieved this goal. The manufacturer Berndorf named the trademark brand Alpacca, which became widely known in northern Europe for nickel silver. In 1830 the German process of manufacture was introduced into England. In 1832, a form of German silver was also developed in Birmingham, England.

Joseph is a figure in the canonical gospels who was married to Mary, Jesus' mother, and was Jesus' legal father. In the Apocrypha, Joseph was the father of James, Joses, Jude, Simon, and at least two daughters. According to Epiphanius and the apocryphal History of Joseph the Carpenter, these children were from a marriage which predated the one with Mary, a belief that is accepted by some select Christian denominations. Perspectives on Joseph as a historical figure are distinguished from a theological reading of the Gospel texts.

Pope Pius IX proclaimed Saint Joseph the patron of the Universal Church in 1870. Having died in the "arms of Jesus and Mary" according to Catholic tradition, he is considered the model of the pious believer who receives grace at the moment of death, in other words, the patron of a happy death.

Saint Joseph is the patron saint of a number of cities, regions and countries, among them the Americas, Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, Croatia, Indonesia, Mexico, Korea, Peru, the Philippines and Vietnam, as well as of families, fathers, expectant mothers (pregnant women), explorers, pilgrims, travelers, immigrants, house sellers and buyers, craftsmen, engineers, and working people in general.