Although such crosses were worn throughout the 17th Century, these opaque enamels, as opposed to "champlev", suggest a mid-century date. The jewel's style is very international with the depiction of the Instruments of the Passion pointing to a Roman Catholic origin.

Due to the date of the object's manufacture, the diamonds would most likely be of Golconda origin. They demonstrate several cuts that one may usually only observe in museum pieces. There are three identifiable shapes. The three-faceted, shield-shaped "Chiffre" cut - a flattish triangular pyramid - dates to the 14th Century. The "Taille en Seize" derived its name from the drawings of Gilles Lgar, one of the most talented Parisian jewellery designers of his time, who usually used diamonds with 16 facets in his images. In this cross, we see stones of 12 and 20 facets. This is achieved by subtracting or adding four facets, but the basic shape remains the same. The last cut, the "Rose", is similar to the "Taille en Seize", but its form, which in this case is hidden by the setting, is round. These "angular" diamonds indicate that full rose cuts were not always properly finished. A very popular cut in the 17th Century, they were later used to embellish informal jewels.