A Cross With Diamonds
Crosses are not just religious symbols as they can be used for many different purposes. To give you some examples: in mathematics the Roman numeral for ten is X; in the Latin alphabet the letter X and lower case t are crosses; the Chinese character for ten is X; the dagger or obelus was designed in the form of a cross and the addition and multiplication signs in mathematics are crosses. A cross is often used to mark something as it is easy to create and gives a more accurate position than a dot.
There are many different types of crosses which are used as emblems and symbols: the Ancient Egyptian Ankh is also known as the Key of the Nile; the bent cross is better known as the swastika and is a holy Hindu and Buddhist symbol.
However, in the Western World is associated with Nazism; the high cross is a free standing Celtic cross which is usually found in churches and graveyards in the UK and Ireland; the red cross denotes medical care throughout the world with the Red Crescent being the symbol used in Islamic countries; St Andrew’s Cross is used in the national flag of Scotland and has been given this name because he was believed to have died as a martyr on a cross of this design.
There are many more examples, but I have used the above to illustrate the importance of the cross over the centuries as a symbol of faith and endurance. It is therefore no wonder that they are still worn today, but happily not in the heavy iron and wooden forms of the past but studded with diamonds instead.
Top fashion designers and celebrity jewellers like Kenneth J Lane, Theo Fennell and Butler and Wilson all feature a variety of diamond crosses in their collections. With a client list that reads like “Who’s Who” Fennell recently held a launch party for his new Strip collection and invited 700 guests mainly made up from rock stars, film idols, sportsmen and top society names. Glasses of pink champagne were raised to toast his success by the likes of Sir David Frost, Sir Elton John, Hugh Grant and Jemima Goldsmith, Lulu, Joan Collins and Ruby Wax. While not all of these famous people wear a diamond cross, they certainly know someone who does!