Damaskos Byzantine 18K Gold Stud Earrings with Sapphires and Rubies

These curved stud earrings are built around the Byzantine tradition of dense surface work — every millimeter of gold shaped by hand before a single stone is set. The combination of oval sapphires and pear-shaped rubies gives the piece a specific chromatic weight that reads as both ancient and considered.

The earrings are worked in 18K gold using three distinct hand techniques: martillé, a controlled hammer-striking method that produces a velvety, light-diffusing texture across the surface; granulation, the ancient process of fusing tiny gold spheres without solder to create relief detail; and rope-wire, in which fine gold wire is twisted and applied in continuous bands. The sapphires and rubies measure 4×3 mm each, cut to oval and pear shapes respectively. These are natural stones, not treated simulants. The result is a piece with notable physical presence — the weight of the gold is immediately apparent when worn.

Damaskos is one of the few remaining ateliers in Athens working entirely within classical Greek goldsmithing traditions, producing each piece by hand using techniques documented in archaeological findings from the Byzantine and Archaic periods. These earrings wear well as a daily piece or paired with Damaskos rings and bracelets from the same collection. They are constructed to be passed on.