Stauris Pendant

Stauris Pendant takes its name from the Greek word stauros — the upright stake or cross that became the central symbol of the Christian faith and one of the most recognized sacred objects in the history of the world.

The cross in its earliest Christian understanding was not merely the instrument of a death but the form of a transformation: the point where the human and the divine intersected, the place where time met eternity, the shape made by two lines that cross — the horizontal of the human world and the vertical of the divine.

As a result, the stauros carries a geometry of intersection: the meeting of two different directions at a single point, the moment where what travels along one axis encounters what travels along another.

Furthermore, the four-pointed star — the cross seen as an equal-armed form, its four arms extending to the four cardinal directions — was one of the earliest Christian symbols before the Latin cross became dominant, describing a cosmos in which the divine presence radiated outward in every direction from a single sacred centre.

The Stauris Pendant carries the cross in its most organic form: not the architectural precision of the geometric cross but the sculptural form of a cross that has been shaped by hand, that carries the warmth and variation of something made with attention and devotion.

The Design of the Stauris Pendant

The Stauris Pendant translates the cross into an organic sculptural form in 18k gold. The four arms of the cross are not perfectly geometric but sculptural — they carry the variations of a form that has been shaped with care, the slight irregularities of an object made by hand for a specific devotional purpose.

At the centre of the cross, a gemstone is set: a diamond, ruby, or sapphire that reads as the concentrated point of light and faith at the intersection of the two arms. As a result, the Stauris Pendant reads as both jewellery and sacred object: the cross in its most personal and most devoted form.

The Organic Cross

The organic sculptural form of the cross is the soul of this design. Specifically, the sculptural treatment of the arms gives the pendant a warmth and humanity that the geometric cross does not carry — the sense of something made rather than designed, chosen rather than calculated.

Worn close to the body, the Stauris Pendant carries the cross at the heart of the wearer’s presence. Furthermore, the gemstone at the centre catches the light at the intersection of the arms, reading as the point where the two directions of the cross meet and become one thing.

In this way, the Stauris Pendant carries the quality of the stauros in its most devotional sense: the form of intersection as the form of sacred presence.

Stauris Pendant in 18k Gold and Colored Gemstones

In rose gold the organic cross glows with warmth, set with a ruby that burns at the sacred intersection like the concentrated light of devoted faith. In white gold the Stauris Pendant turns cool and luminous, a sapphire reading at the centre with the deep blue of spiritual depth.

In yellow gold it radiates with full golden intensity, a brilliant diamond at the crossing point — the most vivid possible light at the most sacred point. Whichever stone you choose, the cross holds its meaning.

Craftsmanship and 3D Precision

Each Stauris Pendant was developed in 3D modeling software and brought to life through precision 3D printing and meticulous hand-finishing. The organic sculptural cross demands digital modeling: the four arms must be shaped with the warmth of a handmade form while remaining consistent in their proportions, the gemstone setting must hold the stone at exactly the intersection point, and the pendant must hang true so the cross presents correctly when worn. Hand-finishing polishes every surface to a high shine.

This is the precision that only the Friszman MD process can deliver reliably.

A Made-to-Order Piece

Like every Friszman MD creation, the Stauris Pendant is made to order and hand-finished in 18k gold. Explore the full pendants collection to see how each design draws its form from the world’s great traditions. You can also explore the Christian tradition of the cross and the stauros in the faith collections of the Library of Congress.