Damaskos Byzantine 18K Gold Cross with Diamond – Martille Finish

This Byzantine cross pendant is defined by its martillé finish — a hand-hammering technique that breaks light across the gold surface to produce a texture closer to velvet than metal. Granulation, the application of tiny fused gold spheres, traces the cross arms with a precision that recalls ancient Greek goldsmithing. A single round diamond, 0.05 ct, is set at the intersection.

The pendant is handcrafted in 18K gold and weighs 4.2 grams — substantial enough to wear as a daily piece, substantial enough to register as a considered object. The martillé work is done entirely by hand; no two pieces carry exactly the same pattern of marks. The granulation is applied grain by grain, each sphere bonded to the surface using a technique that predates soldering. These are not decorative choices — they are structural ones, and they define the piece’s character over years of wear.

Damaskos is an Athenian atelier working in the tradition of Byzantine and Archaic Greek goldsmithing, producing each piece to the standards of a craft that has changed little in two thousand years. This cross wears as an everyday pendant or a ceremonial one — the weight and finish mean it reads equally well against a white shirt or formal dress. It is the kind of piece that accumulates meaning with use.