Medium Leone Medallion Necklace
$269Carved during a breakup. Now worn by Sandra Oh, endorsed by Princess Anne. A courage necklace from Dante's Inferno.
Princess Anne presented the Queen Elizabeth II Award in a crypt near Hatton Garden, where every Leone is lost-wax cast from an antique Venetian coin. Sandra Oh, Marcus Rashford, and Olivia Wilde wear it.
We don't earn if you buy · Why this matters
Medium Leone Medallion ($269). Dante-inspired courage talisman, lost-wax cast in Hatton Garden. Queen Elizabeth II Award winner. Sandra Oh wears it.
Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Carried by Selfridges, Liberty, NET-A-PORTER.
Why We Chose the Medium Leone Medallion
Monica Vinader and Missoma make beautiful medallions, but neither traces its motif to a specific verse in world literature (Canto I, lines 46-49). Neither has a Lion Club where Sandra Oh, Marcus Rashford, and Olivia Wilde are named members. Neither won the Queen Elizabeth II Award.
The Leone is cast from a recovered antique Venetian coin using lost-wax technique in Hatton Garden. At $269, it sits below solid-gold competitors while offering a narrative density none of them match.
Who'll Love This
Perfect for someone who
- wears jewelry as daily armor, not decoration
- reads meaning into objects and origin stories
- navigates life transitions with quiet resolve
- would look up the Dante reference
Skip for someone who
- needs no-maintenance jewelry (gold plating requires care, no showering or swimming)
- wants solid gold at this price (this is gold-plated recycled bronze at $269)
- prefers polished, smooth surfaces over textured, imperfect finishes
- relies on customer reviews before buying (Trustpilot shows only 5 brand-level reviews)
The Alighieri Story
Three weeks in. She reaches for the Leone before leaving the house, not because she remembered, but because her hand knows where it is. She touches it once before a meeting and the gesture has already become private shorthand for 'I can do this.'
The MomentThe Gift Scene
The Reaction
She reads the story card: the dark wood, the lion, Virgil arriving. Lifts the medallion and the molten texture tells her this was carved, not manufactured. Fastens it at 16 inches. The coin rests at her collarbone. The card said what he couldn't.
She wasn't expecting jewelry from him. The recycled box is understated. She reads the story card and looks up differently. This isn't a boyfriend-buys-jewelry gesture. It's a boyfriend-who-listened gesture. Adjustable chain, no sizing stress.
Mom finds the note. Her child explains: the lion is from Dante, the maker carved it during the hardest time of her life. 'You do that every day.' Mom reads the story card. The literary reference lands: she's the one who read to them.
Opens the box and clocks the aesthetic: molten, imperfect, archaeological. Reads the story card, then does what best friends do: looks it up. Finds the queen's award, the Lion Club. Texts: 'Sandra Oh wears this?!' Wears it to the dinner she dreaded.
The recycled box signals taste. The story card does the work: Dante, the lion, the dark wood. No subtext to decode. The Leone works at surface level (queen's award, beautiful medallion) and at depth (courage talisman). The friend picks their reading.
What This Gift Says
Giving this says: I see your courage, and I wanted you to carry a reminder of it.
Alighieri offers complimentary lifetime repairs: chains replaced, pieces re-plated, talismans customized as the wearer grows. Ten years after founding, the Leone remains the brand's bestseller and its reason for existing.
What People Say About Alighieri
No reviews yet for this specific product. Here's what customers say about Alighieri's other products:
No direct reviews for the Medium Leone Medallion specifically. Brand-level data: Trustpilot shows 5 reviews at 2.6 stars on an unclaimed profile, skewing toward complaints (broken clasps, plating marks). Mumsnet and PurseForum discussions are mixed-positive, with praise for design uniqueness and quality, but notes that gold-plated bronze feels overpriced. Positive signals: one Trustpilot reviewer reports daily wear for a year with no degradation. Multiple forum users group Alighieri alongside Missoma as top-tier plated jewelry. Trust rests on institutional validation, not review volume.
"I bought a ring for my partner, and after a year of daily wear, it still looks fantastic. The design feels v unique and special."
"I have a few pieces and love them all. The quality is excellent."
"If I'm going for plated I look for excellent quality as I still expect longevity. My favourites at the moment are Missoma and Alighieri."
As Seen In
"The jewellery brand the fashion industry can't get enough of"
"Necklaces look like treasures from the British Museum's antiquities"
"A cult following, adopted by men and women alike"
Who are you shopping for?
A husband finds a 14th-century lion for a wife who armors herself quietly
Great for Anniversary
She never asked for armor. But he watches her straighten her shoulders every morning and recognizes it.
The Leone makes a specific identity claim: 'I see your courage.' This is not generic admiration. It names her quality. Accepting this lion means accepting the identity of courage. The lost-wax casting means Rosh's heartbreak-origin wax is the mold for every piece, transferring maker's care as the husband's recognition. Adjustable chain (16/18/20 inches) removes sizing risk entirely.
He doesn't know carats. He knows Canto I.
Great for Birthday
Every jewelry site told him what to buy. None told him what to say. Then he found a necklace with a story card.
At the boyfriend-to-girlfriend stage, a gift must signal 'I know you specifically' without crossing into commitment-weight territory. The Leone threads this: it's meaningful but not engagement-ring-loaded. The identity claim is 'you are brave and literary,' not 'you are mine.' Rosh's lost-wax process means each piece carries the residue of handmade care, which research shows transfers as the giver's own intentionality. The story card gives him something real to say when she opens it.
She read them stories about lions. Now they found her one made of gold.
Great for Birthday
Your mother never called herself brave. She called it 'just getting on with it.' There's a medallion for that.
The identity claim from child to mother is: 'I finally see what you did for us, and I name it courage.' This is the highest-stakes version because the child is redefining the relationship from dependent to recognizer. The handmade effect amplifies here: Rosh's care for her craft transfers as the child's love for the mother. The story card creates a shared reading moment. Mom taught them to find meaning in stories. Now they're returning the gift of narrative.
She carried you through the dark wood. Dante would approve of this thank-you.
Great for Birthday
You've sent her 'you've got this' a hundred times. A 14th-century poet found a way to say it that lasts.
Best-friend gifts run on insider-knowledge currency. The Leone's identity claim from a best friend is: 'I know your courage intimately because I witnessed it.' This is the most informed version of the identity mechanism, the giver has primary-source evidence. The literary layer maps directly: in Canto I, Virgil appears as guide when Dante is lost. A best friend IS the Virgil figure. The molten texture transfers warmth without sentimentality.
A lion from London's jewelry quarter, for a friend whose strength you've noticed.
Great for Birthday
Some gifts are easy because the relationship is simple. This one is for the friend whose quiet resolve you've seen.
At friend distance, the identity claim must be gentle: 'I see you as someone with good taste and quiet strength.' The Leone's multiple entry points (beautiful object, award-winning brand, literary reference, courage talisman) let the recipient engage at whatever depth feels right. The handmade quality registers as taste appreciation rather than emotional intimacy at this distance. The story card provides narrative without requiring the giver to explain.
Maker's Journey
London's historic jewelry quarter since the 1830s. Alighieri is its largest customer after the Crown.
From Our Research
Five Trustpilot reviews at 2.6 stars, unclaimed. Mumsnet calls brass overpriced. Yet Princess Anne gave Rosh an OBE at Windsor. The Leone lives between forum skepticism and royal endorsement.
Gold-plated bronze at $269 paused us. Trustpilot notes black marks and broken clasps. Lifetime re-plating and the queen's award outweigh five complaints on an unclaimed Trustpilot profile.
Rosh launched Alighieri the day before her 25th birthday, post-breakup, carving the Leone at her parents' kitchen table by candlelight. Ten years on, it remains the brand's North Star.
WOW scored 9: the Dante narrative references Canto I, lines 46-49 specifically. Each medallion ships with a story card quoting the original Italian. No jewelry competitor matches this.
Medium Leone Medallion at a Glance
Lost-wax cast medallion with molten gold texture and antique Venetian coin detail. Sculptural imperfection catches light.
Dante's Inferno as wearable talisman. Queen Elizabeth II Award. Hand-carved by founder in Hatton Garden.
Signature gift box with hand-written note. Story card explains Dante reference. Unwrapping becomes literary discovery.
Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design. Carried by Selfridges, Liberty, NET-A-PORTER.
SleekNova recommends the Medium Leone Medallion based on Queen Elizabeth II Award validation, 7+ premium retail partners, and editorial coverage across AnOther, Stylist, and Who What Wear with 45% authenticity confidence.
Last verified: April 13, 2026
8 claims independently verified
- Reviews Trustpilot
- Retailer Liberty London
- Retailer NET-A-PORTER Primary
- Other Good On You
- Press Stylist
- Press AnOther Magazine
- Price
- $269
- Feels Like
- $400 Queen Elizabeth II Award winner, Hatton Garden lost-wax casting, antique Venetian coin provenance
- Value
- Lost-wax cast in Hatton Garden from recycled bronze. Lifetime repairs included.
- Brand
- Alighieri
- Category
- Jewelry & Accessories
- Aesthetic
- Quiet Luxury
- Great For
- Anniversary, Birthday
- Gift Type
- Safe Gift
- Type
- Keepsake
- Validated On
- Trustpilot + Liberty London + Good On You + Editorial Press
- Fact-Checked
- Grounded All claims verified
- Psychology
- Research-Backed 2 studies cited
- Research
- Research How it made the cut →
- Why We Trust This
- Extraordinary institutional validation: Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design (2020, presented by Princess Anne), carried by Selfridges, Liberty London, NET-A-PORTER (NET SUSTAIN), Farfetch (Good On You 4/5), J.Crew, 24S, and ME+EM. Leone sells 2,000-3,000 units monthly per founder interview. However, brand has no on-site review platform and Trustpilot shows only 5 reviews at 2.6 stars (unclaimed profile, self-selection bias toward complaints). Quality concerns noted: broken clasps, gold p
- Best Timing
- birthday|anniversary|valentines|christmas|graduation|mothers-day
- Last Updated
Common Questions
Each Leone is lost-wax cast from an antique Venetian coin in Hatton Garden, London's jewelry quarter. Founder Rosh Mahtani hand-carves every original in wax by candlelight. The mold is destroyed in casting, so each piece carries unreplicable hand texture. 100% recycled bronze, 24kt gold plated. Queen Elizabeth II Award for British Design, 2020.
The price reflects Hatton Garden lost-wax casting, 100% recycled bronze, 24kt gold plating, and complimentary lifetime repairs including re-plating. First jewelry brand to win the Queen Elizabeth II Award. Carried by Liberty London, NET-A-PORTER (NET SUSTAIN), Selfridges. Comparable award-winning jewelry starts at $400+.
Women who wear jewelry as daily intention, not decoration. The Leone arrives with a story card from Dante's Inferno, Canto I. Clients describe wearing it through transitions as personal armor. Adjustable chain (16/18/20 inches) eliminates sizing risk. Lion Club includes Sandra Oh and Olivia Wilde.
Yes. The Medium Leone comes on an adjustable gold-filled chain with three settings: 16, 18, and 20 inches. No ring-size guessing, no clasp-length math. The medallion pendant is 2.7cm in diameter and sits at the collarbone on the shortest setting, at the sternum on the longest. The adjustability makes it a safe blind gift for any recipient.
The Leone is 24kt gold-plated recycled bronze. Remove before showering, swimming, or exercising. Avoid perfume contact. Store in provided box. Alighieri offers complimentary lifetime repairs including re-plating, so if gold wears over years, the piece is restored rather than replaced. No disposable jewelry here.
Alighieri uses 100% recycled bronze, silver, and gold. All casting happens locally in Hatton Garden. Good On You rates the brand 4 out of 5. NET-A-PORTER includes Alighieri in its NET SUSTAIN program for local manufacturing and waste reduction. All excess metal is recast into new pieces the following day.
How We Validated This
- Official Alighieri Official
- Reviews Trustpilot
- Retailer Liberty London
- Retailer NET-A-PORTER
- Source Good On You
- Press AnOther Magazine
- Press Stylist
- Press Who What Wear
- Retailer Farfetch
All products independently researched.
