Damaskos Byzantine 18K Gold Pendant with Cameo

This pendant centers on a natural oval cameo — a hand-carved shell portrait of an unnamed woman, her features rendered in fine raised relief. The surrounding 18K gold frame is decorated with granulation and small three-leaf rosettes, known in Greek as Rodakes. It is a composition that draws directly from Byzantine and ancient Greek goldsmithing traditions without reproducing any single historical piece.

Cameo carving is the art of cutting a raised image into layered shell, exploiting the contrast between strata to create depth and shadow. The technique has been practiced continuously since the 2nd millennium BC, when carved portraits served as personal seals and luxury adornments. Here, the shell carving is paired with granulation — a goldsmithing method in which tiny spheres of gold are fused to a surface without solder, creating texture and dimension that catches light at every angle. The pendant is fabricated in 18K gold and weighs approximately 6.80 grams.

Damaskos is an Athenian atelier that has worked within the traditions of ancient and Byzantine Greek goldsmithing for decades, producing each piece by hand using techniques that have changed little over centuries. This pendant wears as easily with a silk shirt as it does as a considered evening piece — the kind of object acquired once and kept indefinitely.