Many people have asked me for the definition of a Mariner's Cross. The answer is simple: It is any interpretation of the crucifix with a theme of the sea: i.e.,symbols such as anchors, ship's wheels, compasses, harpoons, almost anything nautical or oceanic. Mariner's Crosses are also known as Seaman's Crosses and Sailor's Crosses. There is no "traditional" Mariner's Cross. Designs range from crosses with a simple anchor motif to ones that have such an elaborate combination of anchors and ship's wheels and ropes that they look almost like symbols of a shipwreck! Basically, Mariner's Crosses are all worn to bring good luck to the seafarer.

So, when a friend of mine in Key West, who is the captain of a magnificent schooner, asked me to make a Mariner's Cross, I decided that it was time to add a new member to the tradition: a mariner's cross that was a beautiful symbol of both the cross and of the sea -- and what symbol of the sea could be more beautiful and appropriate than the elegant dolphins who inhabit it and are so close to us in spirit? And, as tradition has it, the dolphin is the protector of those in peril at sea.

The result was Whitfield Jack's Mariner's Cross, shown above. I hope it will bring comfort and security and safe harbor to all who wear it.

Whitfield Jack

Key West, Florida