Damaskos Byzantine 18K Gold Cross with Emerald

This Byzantine cross pendant is distinguished by its martillé finish — a hand-hammering technique that creates a dense, velvety surface texture rarely seen in contemporary goldsmithing. One central emerald and five diamonds are set within rings of granulation, the ancient Greek method of fusing tiny gold spheres to a base without solder.

The cross is cast in 18K gold and weighs 6.5 grams. The martillé surface is worked by hand after casting, giving each piece a slightly individual quality that cannot be replicated by machine. The central stone is a 2.30mm emerald; the five surrounding diamonds measure 1.80mm each. Granulation frames the entire stone arrangement, a decorative technique traced back to Etruscan and Minoan goldsmithing and revived by Damaskos as a defining house signature.

Damaskos is an Athenian atelier that has worked continuously in Byzantine and Archaic goldsmithing traditions for decades, producing pieces for museum collections and private clients alike. This cross functions equally as a pendant for daily wear or as a piece passed forward — the weight and finish hold up over time precisely because the construction methods were designed to.