The Story of PocketCross After riding with me all day, and on my way back home from a business trip, my employer and friend, Fred Underwood, called me asking if I would look around in the passenger side of my truck for a small cross that may have fallen out of his pocket. I immediately pulled over and, after looking, I reluctantly called him back and told him I could not find it. The next morning again I looked, but still was unable to find it. When I called his office, he told me that he had found it, tangled within his key chain, and he had not noticed it. He then told me of why his cross was so important to him. Fred told me of how he gave his dear friend who was dying a small cross. Before his friend died, he also gave Fred a cross to keep.  This is the same cross that he has kept it for years. Fred told me each day he is reminded of what his cross means to him when he picks it up in the morning and puts it in his pocket and, again, when he takes it out at night. When Fred brings it out with his change to pay for something, it shows others where his heart is. The Decision to Manufacture PocketCross I was deeply touched by Fred’s story, and decided that I wanted to find a similar cross for my teenage son Brandon. Not as an item of worship, but a simple constant reminder of the most important aspect of life. I also wanted these crosses to become a keepsake, heirloom quality. Additionally, I felt that I wanted to give crosses to others very dear to me to help them to remember Jesus’ sacrifice for us. These crosses would have to be special, made from pure precious metal, so that they could be kept or passed on from generation to generation. I searched everywhere, from Christian retail stores to jewelry outlets, but was unable to locate such a cross. Moreover, I was informed that I could not buy pure gold, pure silver or bronze crosses. I finally visited a gold, silver, and bronze coin shop; it was there that I learned that pure precious metals must be forged or minted, and cannot be molded. This is the reason why all gold jewelry is 18k maximum and all silver jewelry is sterling.  I contacted gold, silver, and bronze mints across America, until I found one, Regency Mint in Orem, Utah that said they could produce the pure precious metal crosses. The design, fixture, dies, and engraving are the first ever done. As PocketCross became a reality, I knew I would be pleased whether I could only make one cross for my son or could produce a million. -Chris Parks