Sterling Silver and Black Enamel Miraculous Medal Pendant, Circa 1930s-1950s

Oval sterling silver pendant with the Virgin of the Miraculous Medal standing in relief against a black enamel ground.

The Miraculous Medal traces to 1830, when Saint Catherine Labouré, a young novice of the Daughters of Charity in Paris, reported that the Virgin Mary appeared to her and asked that a medal be struck from her vision, promising great graces to all who wore it. The first medals were made in 1832, and so many cures and conversions were credited to them that they became known simply as the Miraculous Medal, one of the most widely worn Catholic medals in the world. Black enamel grounds like this one were also favored as a quiet, dignified style suitable for mourning.

Light wear.