Solid Sterling Silver Knights Templar Cross Battle Banner Lapel Pin
Cast Sterling Silver Cross of the Knights Templar (Cross of the Order of the the Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon) Battle Banner Lapel Pin
Available with Standard Clutch and Pin OR Screw Back closures
Item Code: OSMTJBANNERPIN / OSMTJBANNERSCRW
Details
Size of Pin: 20mm * 15mm
Weight (Silver): 6g / 9g
Material: .925 Sterling Silver
Enamel: EFCOLOR Transparent Red, Solid Black, Solid White.
Finding:
Either .925 Clutch Back (NOT Handmade)
Or Handmade screw back with nut (for thicker materials and a safer closure)
Come in smart Leatherette Box with a Certificate from the Malta Crafts Council and a leaflet (shown) explaining the history of the cross.
Please Note
All our items are individually hand crafted and will therefore be unique. As such they may vary slightly from the picture shown.
Not all lengths/sizes of the same item are stocked and that it may not be possible to post the next day. So, if necessary, please allow an extra 7 days for these items to be hand crafted for you.
All weights are extrapolated.
History
Also known as the Order of Solomon's Temple, the Knights Templar, or simply the Templars, this was a monastic order created in 1120 for the protection of Christian pilgrims who were routinely slaughtered, sometimes by the hundreds, as they attempted to make the journey from the coastline at Jaffa through to the interior of the Holy Land.
The Templars’ headquarters was in a wing of the royal palace on the Temple Mount in the captured Al-Aqsa Mosque above what was believed to be the ruins of the Temple of Solomon. From this location the new order took the name of Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon, or "Templar" knights.
The red cross that the Templars wore on their robes was a symbol of martyrdom, and to die in combat was considered a great honour that assured a place in heaven.
It is thought that the cross was most probably added to their robes at the launch of the Second Crusade in 1147, when Pope Eugenius III, attended a meeting of the French Templars at their headquarters near Paris.
Templar knights, in their distinctive white mantles with a red cross, were amongst the most skilled fighting units of the Crusades.The Templars became a favored charity throughout Christendom, and grew rapidly in membership and power.
They were also prominent in Christian finance. Non-combatant members of the order, as much as 90%, managed a large economic infrastructure throughout Christendom. They developed innovative financial techniques that were an early form of banking, building a network of nearly 1,000 commanderies and fortifications across Europe and the Holy Land, and forming the world's first multinational corporation.
Technique
- The Model is created in CAD before being 3D printed on a high resolution resin printer.
- A low wax casting resin is used.
- Various models are added to a "tree" and encased in high temperature investment to create a mold.
- The mold is then baked in an kiln for 14 hours at various temperatures to melt the resin and harden the investment.
- The hot mold is taken from the kiln and inserted into a vacuum casting machine.
- Molten silver is cast into the mold.
- The cast pin is sanded down and cleaned.
- Fittings are soldered on and the whole thing is polished.
- Colour is added by applying EFCOLOR enamel to the background to the desired depth.
- Item is cleaned of excess enamel and given a final thorough polish.
