1960s Crown Trifari “Jewels of India” Maltese Cross

The Maltese cross has meant power and protection for a thousand years, and Crown Trifari gave it the full Jewels of India treatment. This 1960s brooch fills the ancient four-armed form with the collection’s signature riches: ruby swirl cabochons in red and white, emerald-green glass, a sapphire-blue pear-cut rhinestone at the heart, all laced with pavé crystal across a gold-and-silver plated finish. The cross is a shape that rewards density — the more it’s encrusted, the more it reads as a jeweled shield rather than a symbol — and Trifari packed it edge to edge. It is signed Crown Trifari with the copyright mark on the reverse, in excellent vintage condition. Verdura made the Maltese cross famous in fine jewelry for Chanel; Trifari brought that same bold, Byzantine glamour within reach. A brooch with the weight of history and the color of a treasury.