Damaskos Byzantine 18K Gold Constantinato Cross with Ruby – Double Sided Virgin Mary

The Constantinato is a specific type of Byzantine cross with a defined cultural function. This double-sided pendant carries the inscription ICXC NIKA — Greek for Jesus Christ conquers — on one face, and an image of the Virgin Mary holding Christ on the reverse. A natural ruby measuring 1.80mm is set at the center. It is not a generic cross pendant. The Constantinato form has been made in Greece for centuries, traditionally given to newborns as a protective charm, and worn continuously through adulthood.

This example is worked in 18K gold, weighing approximately 2.1 grams. The relief imagery on both faces is achieved through hand-engraving and repoussé-adjacent modeling, techniques central to the Damaskos method of working directly with the metal rather than relying on cast blanks. The ruby is natural, not treated glass-filled stone, set in a fine collet that keeps the profile close to the surface of the cross.

Damaskos is an Athenian atelier that has been producing Byzantine and Archaic gold jewelry for decades, working from the same historical source material — Byzantine icons, ancient Greek artifacts, ecclesiastical objects — that informed the originals. The Constantinato is appropriate as a gift at birth, a baptism, or any moment marking a new beginning. It functions equally as an everyday piece and as an object passed forward. A version in all-gold without the ruby is also available.