After his early years in Palermo, Sicily, Fulco Santostefano della Cerda, the Duke of Verdura, spent much of his youth traveling throughout Europe. In the early 1920s, he settled in Paris, where he met Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel at a party in Venice hosted by his close friend Cole Porter. Impressed by Verdura’s artistic eye and creative passion, Chanel invited him to join her firm as a textile designer. Shortly after, Verdura changed direction to jewelry and ultimately became her head jewelry designer, a role he held for eight years before opening his own New York boutique in 1939.

The iconic “Maltese Cross” cuff bracelets emerged shortly after Verdura began working with Chanel. Commissioned to create a pair of double cuffs, he reimagined the Byzantine-inspired Maltese Cross motif in creative arrangements of colorful cabochon gemstones. The bold, modern design captivated Chanel who frequently wore them throughout the 1930s and 1940s as her signature, as seen in Man Ray’s renowned portrait of her from circa 1935 (featured right). Later, a pair of the cuffs were gifted to Diana Vreeland, a close friend of both Chanel and Verdura, who cherished them for the effortless elegance they brought to any choice of outfits.

The Maltese Cross motif remained Verdura’s signature hallmark long after his time with Chanel, beloved by a number of fashionable women throughout the century. In 2009, the house released 70 pairs of the cuffs to commemorate Verdura’s 70^th anniversary, each slightly unique yet true to the original pair created for Coco Chanel herself. The present pair are the rare 56^th and 57^th editions out of the 70 created for this milestone. Presenting the remarkable harmony of color that defines Verdura’s aesthetic, the cuffs serve as timeless tributes to the most iconic designs in jewelry history.