Iconic Jewelry - Verdura's Maltese Cross Cuff

Verdura is a favorite of ours at CIRCA, and there is no piece more identified with this celebrated designer than his signature Maltese Cross Cuff. According to jewelry lore, Verdura created the cuff when Coco Chanel asked him to make “something beautiful” out of the jewelry that she had collected from ex-lovers.

At the beginning of their collaboration in the 1920’s, Fulco di Verdura and Coco Chanel traveled throughout Europe in search of inspiration, and were quite taken by the Byzantine artwork they saw, in particular the Maltese Cross (below right). The cross was the symbol of the Knights of Malta, a Christian military order charged with the defense of the Holy Land after the First Crusade. The original version of the cross has eight points, and looks like four arrowheads joined at their tips. The eight points symbolize the eight obligations, or vows, of the Knights. After their trip, the Maltese Cross not only adorned the iconic cuffs, but became an important motif in both Verdura and Chanel couture creations.

What makes the Maltese Cross Cuffs so sought after is not just their strong aesthetic statement, but the fact that they are a combination of two legends in the annals of style – Verdura and Chanel. At CIRCA, we were fortunate enough to recently purchase the cuff shown here, crafted out of banded agate with pearl, citrine and carnelian accent stones placed on a yellow gold cross. The cross depicted is actually a variation of the traditional Maltese Cross, and doesn’t conform to the arrowhead style of the original.

Typically, one sees the Maltese Cross Cuff in black onyx. This cuff is particularly bold due to the sweeping movement of the banded agate, which adds highlight and color to the citrine and carnelian. Iconic pieces like one are understandably prized by collectors.

Image: Maltese Cross; Source: Wikipedia.com Print this post