From gem-set crucifixes, to ‘coffin' diamonds, these Gothic jewellery designs are eerie fables all their own

Black chain and sapphire earring hoops and raven and jewelled pendant.

As winter creeps in, dramatic crucifixes, jet-black chains and various Gothic symbols edge alongside it. This month, at PAD London, the Paris jeweller Elie Top unveiled his most dramatic crucifix designs to date. And, on Louis Vuitton’s S/S 2025 Paris runway, there was nothing particularly sunny about Nicolas Ghesquière’s oversized, huge, matt-black chains. So far, so bohémien.

Then there’s the release this year of Fear and Love: The Story of the Exorcist, a behind-the-scenes retelling of the famed horror film that Aldo Cipullo designed jewellery for. Arguably the most legendary jewellery designer of modern times, the American-Italian designer created Cartier’s screwdriver-lock Love bracelet and Juste un Clou (Nail) jewels. And it is Cipullo's Hamsa Hand pendant design that we see swinging portentously around the neck of Ellen Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil in William Friedkin's 1973 movie.