Women throughout Catholic Europe commonly wore Christian symbols, such as the cross, as jewellery. In Italy the crosses worn with traditional costume are usually very decorative, and were often worn with matching earrings. The design of this cross comes from France, where it is called a croix Jeanette, or croix à la Jeanette (John's cross). Its name comes from the fact that it was often bought by servant girls with their first pay packet. Servants were traditionally hired on St John's day. Almost every French woman would have worn one in the 19th century.

Crosses of this design often found their way to neighbouring countries, particularly Italy, and it is likely that they were also made there. This one was acquired in Sicily, but it has an unidentified gold mark which is more often associated with northern Italy. In France, women usually wore these crosses on a black velvet ribbon, fastened tightly round the neck like a choker, with a slide at the front. Italian women preferred to hang them from a gold chain, or a necklace of coral beads.

This cross was bought as part of the Castellani collection of Italian Peasant Jewellery at the International Exhibition, Paris, 1867.