Kim K and Rihanna love oversized cross jewellery, should you? Fashionable maximalism meets religious imagery in these chunky crucifixes – here are the brands blinging up the sacred Christian symbol

Oct 10 , 2023

Kim Kardashian walks the runway of the Dolce & Gabbana show at Milan Fashion Week in September, sporting a very loud crucifix. Photo: WireImage

From Kim K buying the late Princess Diana’s Attallah Cross and Rihanna’s pregnancy reveal with A$AP Rocky, to Justin Bieber’s crucifix collection – A-listers are going big with Christian symbolism

Designers are maxing out their medallions, such as New York powerhouse David Yurman and London jeweller Alighieri’s Dante-inspired pieces – check out these eye-grabbing cross jewellery designs

Fashion’s current obsession with maximalism has officially infiltrated jewellery. Super-sized pendants and medallions are a key trend of 2023, with cross motifs in chunky, ornate and Gothic styles popular thanks to A-listers loading on the gemstones.

Kim Kardashian, who has been accumulating a collection of jewellery linked to powerful 20th-century women, made headlines in January when she bought an amethyst and diamond crucifix pendant worn by the late Diana, Princess of Wales, in the late 1980s. The Attallah Cross pendant, designed by then official crown jeweller Garrard, was sold for £163,800 (US$199,000) to a representative of the American billionaire at the Sotheby’s Royal & Noble auction. Beyond this, the reality star wore a crystal necklace at the spring/summer 2023 show of Dolce & Gabbana, a brand renowned for its Catholic iconography.

Diana, Princess of Wales, wearing the Attallah Cross pendant, designed by then official crown jeweller Garrard, which was recently sold to Kim Kardashian for US$199,000 at auction. Photo: Getty Images

Rihanna owns several jewelled crosses, including a 1980s Christian Lacroix piece, worn for the viral photo reveal of her first pregnancy with rapper A$AP Rocky. A large pendant set with sapphires, tanzanites and aquamarines on a black velvet cord by New York jeweller Briony Raymond is another favourite of Ri’s, as is a bone cross from supermodel Erin Wasson’s Low Luv jewellery range and an oversized silver cross medallion by Gucci.

Rihanna rocking religion. Photo: @badgalriri/Instagram

Justin Bieber is another who owns several crosses including a dainty silver iteration by American jeweller Effy, along with eye-catching pieces from Los Angeles fine jeweller Established and celebrity jeweller Ben Baller.

How to do medallions with style (and taste)

Fancy trying the trend yourself? When it comes to contemporary styles, there are plenty of options.

David Yurman cross necklace. Photo: Handout