Sometimes it is dificult to date jewellery. Take this cross, for example. It has all the hallmarks of an Italian Reaniassance piece: the enamelling, the subject matter, the combination of crystal and gold, the handmade statue of Christ and INRI inscription. But the glass cross itself could also point to the so-called neo-styles, the 19th century Neo-Renaissance revival to be precise. This style, dated between roughly the 1850ties and 1880ties, prided itself by using techniques and styles to re-create the much admired pieces from the Renaissance.

Then what is it? We can't know for sure. The only way to have some clarity would be to bring it past a museum, ask the Renaissance experts. And even then...

So, I suppose the beauty is the thing that gives it its enduring grace. All the rest is up to the imagination of the beholder.