“This particular Maltese cross measures approximately 50mm x 50mm – it is an artisan-made piece of fine detail and symmetry. The attention to detail and the man hours (and patience) required to make it makes me appreciate it even more. The filigree work is the jeweller’s equivalent of paper quilling on a minute scale. I‘ve never had an excuse to wear it but I look at it often.”
Anne Shepherd, Residential Land’s Architectural Designer
Two things which are closely associated with Malta are the eight-pointed cross and the astoundingly delicate art of filigree jewellery.
Crusading knights
The cross, so synonymous with the country that it is known as the Maltese cross, is used as their civil ensign, the trademark of their national airline and the crest for the national football team.
It has its roots in the crosses used in the crusades and is most commonly associated with the Knights of Malta, also known as the Knights Hospitallers of St. John, who ruled Malta between 1530 and 1798. Interestingly, this is why the UK’s leading first aid charity, St John Ambulance, bears the same cross. To this day it remains the symbol of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Intricate and ancient work
Filigree is the extremely delicate process of jewellery making whereby very fine threads of gold or silver are woven together to create ornate motifs. Indeed, it could be argued that the value of such jewellery is borne out of the artisan’s skill rather than the actual material used.
Malta’s filigree legacy dates back to the Phoenicians who colonised Malta sometime after 1000BCE. Through the last three millennia the Maltese have made the art form their own. Unsurprisingly, the most notable motif is the eight pointed cross which can be found in different variations in gold or silver in brooches, necklaces and other forms of jewellery.
The adoration by many for Maltese Cross filigree jewellery is a worthy reminder that in our age of mass production, the handmade intricate delicacy of the artisan is still held in high esteem.