Damaskos Byzantine 18K Gold Constantinato Cross with Diamonds

The Constantinato is one of the most historically rooted forms in Byzantine jewelry — a cross pendant traditionally gifted to infants as a protective talisman, carrying the inscription ICXC NIKA, meaning “Christ conquers.” This Damaskos interpretation centers a polished cross within a white platinum frame, where the contrast between the burnished field and the diamond-set border defines the piece’s quiet authority.

The surface is finished using the martillé technique — a hand-hammering process that creates a fine, velvety texture across the gold, diffusing light rather than reflecting it. At the center of the cross, a single 1.80mm diamond is seated within a ring of granulation: tiny fused gold spheres, a goldsmithing method that dates to ancient Greece and requires exceptional precision. The surrounding frame holds 0.50 carats of diamonds in a white platinum setting that reinforces the structural clarity of the cross form. The piece is crafted in 18K gold and weighs approximately 6.6 grams.

Damaskos is an Athens-based atelier whose work draws directly from archaeological sources — Byzantine, Archaic, and Hellenistic — interpreted through contemporary goldsmithing. The Constantinato holds particular significance in Greek culture as both a spiritual object and a generational keepsake. Though rooted in tradition, this piece wears equally well as a personal talisman or a considered everyday cross pendant.