Damiani Cross Pendant

On 1stDibs, you can find the most appropriate damiani cross pendant for your needs in our varied inventory. Each design created in this style — which was crafted with great care and often made from gold, 18k gold and white gold — can elevate any look. For this particular accessory, there are many different carat weights to choose from, but versions are of considerable interest. A damiani cross pendant can make for a versatile accessory, but a selection from our variety of 2 diamond versions can add an especially stylish touch. Today, if you’re looking for a brilliant cut version of this piece and are unable to find the perfect match, our selection also includes round cut alternatives. When shopping for a damiani cross pendant, you’ll find that there are less available pieces for unisex or men today than there are for women.

The price for a damiani cross pendant starts at $312 and tops out at $7,337 with these necklaces, on average, selling for $2,625.

When Enrico Grassi Damiani opened a goldsmith workshop in Valenza, Italy, in 1924, he established a brand that would completely change the jewelry industry. The seductive shapes that he sketched were translated into sculptural gold Damiani necklaces and rings and accented with diamonds and other precious stones, garnering the attention of Italy’s upper class. The jeweler’s designs, inspired by cityscapes as often as they were flowers and other natural-world forms, would find loyal patrons in the wealthy and now are celebrated as timeless works.

Even today, a ring Damiani designed during the early 20th century in tribute to Queen Margherita continues to inspire the Margherita collection with its daisies of diamonds and gold. One of Damiani’s 1920s designs was the Charleston necklace, a collier with a feather shape adorned with approximately 1,000 diamonds, inspired by revolutionary American-born French dancer and singer Josephine Baker, who’d taken to the stage sometimes clad in little more than pearl jewelry and a feather skirt.

For the next 40 years, Damiani maintained its status as the premier jeweler to Italy’s elite, adapting to restrictions on materials during World War II with pieces that saw an innovative integration of metal alloys and iron. After the war, Damiani’s son, Damiano Grassi Damiani, took over the family business and catapulted the Damiani name onto the international stage.

In the 1970s, Damiano led Damiani to become one of De Beers’s main partners, associating the Italian name with luxury and opulence in high-quality diamonds. He also introduced catalogues, which guaranteed fixed pricing, something radical for fine jewelry. In 1976, Damiani won the prestigious Diamonds International Award for its Shark bracelet, which Damiano’s wife, Gabriella Colombo Damiani, designed using two-toned gold and diamonds.

Following Damiano’s death in 1996, Gabriella took the helm, bringing on her three children — Silvia, Guido and Giorgio — to help oversee the company’s creative direction. In the 2000s, its expansion included new boutiques around the world as well as celebrity collaborations, such as the line of jewelry designed by actor Brad Pitt and goldsmiths in Valenza now available for customers as the D.Side.

Other celebrity partnerships included Sharon Stone, who collaborated on the Maji line to support clean water in Africa, and the Sophia Loren collection, which was inspired by the iconic style of the Italian actress. In 2009, Damiani designed the Harlequin Fantasy Bra for the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show. The garment took 15 artisans more than 800 hours to craft by hand using 2,355 colorless and cognac-colored diamonds.

Today, the company continues to innovate creatively on its heritage with an eye toward the future, from the timeless Belle Époque collection, inspired by the sketches of founder Enrico Grassi Damiani, to diamond-adorned Apple watch covers.

Find a collection of Damiani jewelry for sale on 1stDibs.

We are fortunate to know much of the world’s long and dazzling history of necklaces, as this type of jewelry was so treasured that it was frequently buried with its owners.

Lapis lazuli beads adorned necklaces unearthed from the royal graves at the ancient Iraqi civilization of Sumer, while the excavation of King Tut’s burial chamber revealed a sense of style that led to a frenzy of Art Deco designs, with artisans of the 1920s seeking to emulate the elegant work crafted by Ancient Egypt’s goldsmiths and jewelry makers. 

In ancient times, pendant necklaces worn by royalty and nobles conferred wealth and prestige. Today, wearing jewelry is about personal expression: Luxury diamond necklaces exude confidence and can symbolize the celebratory nature of a deep romantic relationship, while paper-clip chain-link necklaces designed by the likes of goldsmith Faye Kim are firmly planted in the past as well as the present. Kim works exclusively with eco-friendly gold, and these fashionable, fun accessories owe to the design of 19th-century watch fobs. 

For some, necklaces are thought of as being a solely feminine piece, but this widely loved accessory has been gender-neutral for eons. In fact, just as women rarely took to wearing a single necklace during the Renaissance, men of the era layered chains and valuable pendants atop their bejeweled clothing. In modern times, the free-spirited hippie and counterculture movements of the 1960s saw costume-jewelry designers celebrating self-expression through colorful multistrand necklaces and no shortage of beads, which were worn by anyone and everyone. 

Even after all of these years, the necklace remains an irrefutable staple of any complete outfit. Although new trends in jewelry are constantly emerging, the glamour and beauty of the past continue to inform modern styles and designs. In a way, the cyclical history of the necklace differs little from its familiar looped form: The celebrated French jewelry house Van Cleef & Arpels found much inspiration in King Tut, and, now, their Alhambra collection is a go-to for modern royals. Vintage necklaces designed by David Webb — whose work landed him on the cover of Vogue in 1950, two years after opening his Manhattan shop — were likely inspired by the ornamental styles of ancient Greece, Mesopotamia and Egypt. 

On 1stDibs, browse top designers like Cartier, Tiffany & Co. and Bulgari, or shop by your favorite style, from eye-catching choker necklaces to understated links to pearl necklaces and more.