With a myriad of meanings straddling sacred and profane, the cross is back in the spotlight – in a large part thanks to Kim Kardashian

DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES IN THE GARRARD AMETHYST CROSS NOW OWNED BY KIM KARDASHIAN

 Tim Graham
The arts have long found inspiration in Christianity  – even when parodying or subverting its symbols and imagery. So, too, has high fashion. The 2018 Met Gala’s theme of ‘Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination’ saw guests juxtapose the sacred and profane in pastiche
outfits that nodded more to pop culture than piety. But that was before the Sotheby’s sale of January 2023, when the auctioneer offered the Attallah cross pendant…

This 1920s Garrard piece was frequently worn in the 1980s by Princess Diana (on loan from its then-owner, the publisher Naim Attallah). And from its setting of square-cut amethysts, rimmed by a lace of diamonds, and hung on a rope of pearls, the cross emerged in all its captivating beauty and myriad of meanings, again claiming centre-stage in the jewellery conversation. Rousing fascination in a wide pool of collectors, this creation – blessed by its association with Diana, the original influencer – was finally purchased by Kim Kardashian for £163,800. This one jewel, embodying three icons, was a powerful reminder of the sway exerted by this simplest of shapes.

THE PRINCESS OF WALES OFTEN WEARS A DIAMOND CROSS, HERE AT TROOPING THE COLOUR, 2019

 Max Mumby/Indigo

Because of its religious significance, the cross is common stock to any jeweller catering for the Christian-commemorative market of births, baptisms, first holy communions and confirmations (and Cartier’s Symbols collection features a variety of different faiths’ popular emblems). However, there are many levels of entry; and on some, no creed is required. We could be talking about a classic, simple, small crucifix, bearing the body of Christ; perhaps made of non-precious metal and attached to rosary beads. Or an elaborate confection of gems and gold – featuring mysterious black spinels, juicy cherry-coloured rubies and elaborate ensembles of emeralds, diamonds and pearls – which is less an aid to prayer than a bold testament to the jeweller’s art.

ROMAN CATHOLIC MARY, QUEEN OF SCOTS WAS OFTEN DEPICTED WEARING A SYMBOLIC CRUCIFIX

 mikroman6

Dolce & Gabbana’s designs have been led by Catholic imagery since they set up shop in Milan in 1985. ‘Religious symbols – and not only those linked to the Christian faith – have always been present in jewellery,’ says designer Domenico Dolce. ‘For example, there is the Ancient Egyptian “looped’’ cross [the ankh], a hieroglyph that originally represented the lifeforce and was then adopted by Coptic Christians.’ And as his co-creative director Stefano Gabbana says, their visual design vocabulary is deeply rooted in Italian tradition as well: ‘We don’t just pay a tribute to faith, but to our cultural heritage. We grew up filling our eyes with beauty – thanks to Raphael, Michelangelo, Caravaggio. Their masterpieces, with all their sacred themes, have always been part of our lives.’

Similar sentiments are echoed by Fabio Salini, an artist-jeweller based in Rome. With a limited production and a focus on bespoke pieces for private clients, he has often made crosses commissioned as gifts – one set with diamonds and yellow sapphires was even intended as a present for the late Pope John Paul II – ‘but some I crafted for creative pleasure, and they have been bought simply for their beauty’.

ELIZABETH HURLEY AT THE PREMIERE OF AUSTIN POWERS, 1997

 Jim Smeal
Associations matter, too. Set with white diamonds and contoured by blackened gold, the shape loomed large in Jessica McCormack’s Lost Boys collection, which debuted last year and was inspired by the rebellious spirit of the cult-classic movie of the 1980s. ‘It’s part romantic, part gothic, and overall it feels androgynous,’ the designer says. ‘That’s what I like about a diamond cross. It’s neither masculine nor feminine.’

LOST BOYS CARRÉ-CUT DIAMOND CROSS PENDANT, £13,000, AND LOST BOYS BELCHER BOW CHAIN, £5,000, JESSICA MCCORMACK

And although she admits that some of her clients were drawn to the collection as expressions of their beliefs, she thinks the majority were simply attracted by the look. After all, there is something intrinsically satisfying about the so-called ‘cruciform’ – for which fine art aficionados have an explanation. If you’re familiar with the rule of ‘the golden proportion’ in painting, you’ll know that at its root is the square; and a perfect fit into this, of course, is a cross made of two equal lines (like a ‘plus’ sign).

As Michael Coan, an associate professor of jewellery design at the New York Fashion Institute of Technology, says: ‘Humans have contemplated, studied and applied these shapes and proportions over the millennia, and they have come to acquire a kind of “divine” importance. So, a cross has a deeply rooted meaning and place in our consciousness – which predates what modern history has assigned to it.’

In other words, the cross was a special shape, common to all humanity, long before records  began. And even in its Christian form, its dimensions can reveal more about the wearer – such as to which branch of the religion they belong. A cross made up of two equal lines is associated with Greek Orthodoxy, whereas an elongated ‘post’ with shorter ‘arms’ is part of Western European tradition. And then there is the Maltese version: linked to heraldry and royalty, and the old badge of the Knight Hospitallers, this is the style that is embraced by American jeweller Lauren Harwell Godfrey.

RIHANNA WEARS A CHROME HEARTS CROSS NECKLACE, 2022

 Stephane Cardinale – Corbis
While the four triangles of the Maltese Cross might stir memories of another uber-stylish, influential woman – Mademoiselle Gabrielle Chanel – who paired her ropes of pearls with a chic cuff bearing the emblem (created for her by Duke Fulco di Verdura), Lauren Harwell Godfrey’s pieces are as much about chi as chic. Their colourful accents of bright pink, orange and yellow sapphire radiate positive energy, representing, she says, ‘the four elements of earth, air, fire and water’. They’re symbols of bravery, too, she adds – picture military medals – and she points out that ‘crux’ (the Latin for ‘cross’) has come to mean ‘a vital, basic, decisive or pivotal point’, standing for empowerment.

CRUX MINI PENDANT NECKLACE, £3,029, HARWELL GODFREY

New Yorker Eva Fehren would get Harwell Godfrey’s vote. She sees the cross that motivates her X collection (and her brand’s logo) as ‘a symbol of individuality and strength… the shape has always fascinated me’. Fehren’s graphic pendants, bracelets and rings – set with white or black diamonds in either blackened white gold, rose gold, yellow gold or platinum – display ‘balance, symmetry and elegance, and convey both purity and bold toughness’.

Suffering and redemption, innocence and endurance, uniqueness and mystery: the crux of the matter is this – these two lines, intersecting on the perpendicular, have a strange but powerful hold over us. Which is why X truly marks jewellery’s sweetest spot.

This article was first published in Tatler’s Watches and Jewellery Guide 2023, on sale with the December issue

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Stay Blessed Baby link necklace, £7,761, Shay Jewellery

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Tiny X pendant, £1,500, Eva Fehren

Hugo Julliot
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Venise Cross necklace, £650, Goossens

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Cross necklace in topaz , diamond and platinum, £30,410, Cicada

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Douple Drop Cross necklace, £19,000, Colette

© 2019 Brian Moghadam
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Large Croce Marina pendant, £5,115, Renato Cipullo

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Madrid Cross blue sapphire and pearl necklace, £1,045, Cassandra Goad

Antonio Barrella
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Necklace in green and pink tourmaline, amethyst, ruby, diamond and pink gold, POA, Bulgari High Jewellery

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Cross necklace in diamond and gold, POA, Rainbow K

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Cross pendant in red spinel, ruby, diamond and gold, POA, Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria

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Necklace in diamond and gold, POA, Dolce & Gabbana Alta Gioielleria

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Emerald Grid Cross necklace, £1,340, Patcharavipa