Diamonds are a girl’s, and a historian’s, best friend. High jewelry has never lacked the luster, nor the story behind it that give it real meaning. And even the most famous of fashion jewelry’s periods are subject to trends. One such trend is none other than the motif of the Maltese Cross.
The History of the Maltese Cross
The story of the Cross is traceable to as early as 1126. Centuries ago, it adorned the lapels of the Knights Hospitalliers of St. John. The knights were a Catholic order of crusaders. They used Malta as their Quarters. From them branched the still eminent Knights of Malta. Another byproduct? The clover of four Vs, known as the Maltese cross. The Cross is an essential symbol of Maltese identity. Its’ decadence has sorted it among the more famous images of jewelry and fashion.
Meaning
The Maltese Cross has several evolved meanings. Initially, the 8 tips of the Cross represented the 8 aspirations and tongues of the Knights Hospitalliers. More recently adapted, the image has a connotation of protection, heritage, unity and more.
Collections Featuring the Cross
The Cross has always been a symbol of nobility. This is likely owing to its original raison d’etre. Numerous named and unnamed paintings show noble figures sporting none other than St. John’s cross. It appears as a statement in a portrait of Lady Emma Hamilton. She was the first female ever named a member of St. John’s order. Other paintings famously depict the cross, from Sustermans’ Giancarlo de’ Medici to images of Charles Pierre Claret de Fleurieu. The presence of the cross ranges from subtle to central. What’s more, it’s always apparently fashionable.
Through time, the stern design of the Cross of Malta became more complex. It was crafted out of several kinds of precious metals as well as adorned by precious stones. The Cross became ever more ornate. Subsequently, it turned into high fashion in the 1830-1840 period. During this time it often contained yet another piece of Maltese heritage – filigree. A 1830 Georgian necklace featured a chalcedony cross with 15 carat gold molded in leafy detail. A Victorian pendant made of diamond and pearl was an even sleeker and daintier design. Furthermore, in the 19th century, beaded pieces depicted monograms of the Cross. These made its way onto the wrists of the century’s most watched. The beading technique itself, Lewlu, is an omage to Maltese design.
The history and trend behind the Cross make it abundant in the archives of impressive figures. Most impressively, the cross is part of the Buckingham Palace’s Royal Collection Trust. Documented are jewelry pieces, iconically worn by Princess Margaret and others.
The Cross in Couture
Though not inherently of royal blood, the fashion world’s own version of royalty, Coco Chanel also occasionally donned the Cross. One piece in her private collection is the product of perhaps history’s greatest love stories between designer and homeland. The piece in question is Coco Chanel’s Maltese Cross cuffs. Fulco Verdura, the designer, created them as a product of the pair’s travels together and his reminiscence of his childhood in Malta. Moreover, Chanel’s set of cuffs were not the first in existence. The very first pair was designed circa 1930 and gifted by Vendura to Diana Vreeland, a fashion editor. The Cross was by now fully integrated in the world of couture.
Other designers have since caught the trend that seems to be centuries in the making. Dolce Gabbana created black Maltese brooches. In 1970, Saint Laurent designed gilt metal pendants. the Cross which once came as a mark of nobility and charity has made its way onto runways and editorials. It was brought there by none other than the industry’s biggest names.
In contrast to lustrous designer costume jewelry worn on special occasions, smaller and less regent versions of the cross have been transformed into daily bijoux. The streets of Valetta, for example, suffer from no shortage of filigree boutiques displaying earrings and necklaces of the cross. The viral Maltese jewelers, Carisma and MVintage, retail multiple nods to the Cross, with varying degrees of subtlety. More internationally, Elizabeth Locke offers several different yellow gold pieces in the shape of the famed Cross.
