Damaskos Byzantine 18K Gold Pendant with Ruby

This pendant is built around one of Byzantine goldsmithing’s most demanding surface techniques: the martillé finish. Where most gold pendants present a polished or brushed face, this piece carries a hand-hammered texture that catches light softly, without shine. The ruby sits at center — a single 4x3mm stone — surrounded by five 1.80mm round diamonds and enclosed by twisted wire and granulation work.

The martillé finish is achieved by striking the gold repeatedly with a fine-pointed tool, creating a uniform field of micro-indentations across the surface. Granulation — the application of tiny spheres of gold fused without solder — and twisted wire borders are techniques that trace directly to ancient Greek and Byzantine metalworking. The pendant weighs 7.60 grams and is set in 18K gold. The five diamonds total 0.10ct.

Damaskos is an Athenian atelier with decades of work in historically grounded goldsmithing. Each piece is made entirely by hand using methods that have not changed in centuries. This pendant wears well as a daily piece — the martillé surface resists the appearance of minor wear better than a high-polish finish — and holds the kind of detail that becomes more apparent over time.