Silver Replica of Ground Zero Cross Given to 9/11 Families

By Rob Bates | September 25, 2026

Designer Robert Manse and jewelry manufacturer Carla Corp. have created a sterling silver replica of the famed Ground Zero cross that was found in the rubble of the World Trade Center in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Port Authority Police Benevolent Association president Frank Conti personally handed out 650 replica crosses at this year’s annual banquet for 9/11 family members, which was held in Jersey City, N.J., on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

Manse tells JCK that the banquet’s organizers approached him to make the piece because he had served on the board of the Ken Tietjen Memorial Foundation, a charity honoring first responders that is named after a Port Authority police officer who died on 9/11.

“Since this was a big anniversary, they wanted to gift each family member something special,” Manse says.

After designing a model, Manse brought the project to East Providence, R.I.–based Carla.

“It was important to have the cross made in the United States,” he says. “One of the first people I thought of was the Fleming family, Brian and Ralph. They were both honored to be a part of it.”

Ralph Fleming III, president of Carla Corp., explains that his company created the piece from Manse’s image using a 3D printer. It was then cast in sterling silver and rhodium.

The project posed some unique challenges. The Port Authority police wanted the cross to resemble the original as closely as possible—down to the nail in the back. The original cross was formed from two weathered steel beams. But sterling silver made it look too shiny; a satin finish was added to mimic the “rustic” look of the original.

“They didn’t want it to look like a finished piece of jewelry,” says Fleming. “They wanted it to look authentic, like what a steel beam looks like.”

*The original Ground Zero cross, found in the rubble of 9/11 (photo via Wikipedia)*

The Port Authority police also wanted to include a bit of the Twin Towers in every cross. The organization sent Carla 1,000 bits of “sacred steel,” taken from the original World Trade Center. Unfortunately, “a rough-cut piece of stainless steel doesn’t fit exactly into the cross,” Manse says.

So all the steel pieces had to be cut to make them uniform. That turned out to be the most labor-intensive and time-consuming part of the entire project.

All in all, constructing the cross took over a year. Everyone involved donated their time and labor; the Port Authority was billed only for costs.

“We were honored to be part of it,” says Fleming. “It was done out of respect and to honor the victims of the tragedy of 9/11.”

Manse agrees. “The sacrifice of the brave men and women who gave their lives—and the families who continue to carry their legacy—will never be forgotten,” he wrote on LinkedIn. “It is an honor to play even a small part in remembering them.”

(Replica cross photos courtesy of Robert Manse)