Ynthi Pendant

Ynthi Pendant takes its name from Inti — the supreme solar deity of the Inca Empire, the god of the sun, warmth, and the agricultural cycle on which Andean civilization depended.

Inti was not merely one god among many but the supreme deity of the Inca, the ancestor of the Sapa Inca — the divine emperor — who was understood to be Inti’s direct descendant and representative on earth.

As a result, the relationship between Inti and the Inca people was dynastic as well as devotional: every emperor was the son of the sun, and his rule was the sun’s own governance of the world. Furthermore, the most sacred expression of Inti’s presence in the Inca world was the Punchau — the great golden disc that stood in the Coricancha, the Temple of the Sun in Cusco, positioned so that the first light of the solstice sunrise struck it directly and the reflected radiance filled the entire sanctuary.

The disc was covered in gold, surrounded by a halo of rays, and set with a central point of concentrated solar fire.

When the Spanish conquistadors entered Cuzco in 1533 and stripped the Coricancha of its gold, the Punchau was among the objects removed and melted down.

The Ynthi Pendant carries the form of that lost disc: the sun’s face in gold, the rays radiating from the centre, the gemstone as the concentrated fire of Inti at the solar disc’s heart.

The Design of the Ynthi Pendant

The Ynthi Pendant translates the Incan solar disc into 18k gold. The pendant is a circular form with rays radiating from its rim: the unmistakable silhouette of the sun deity’s disc, the form that the Inca understood as Inti’s own face.

At the centre, a gemstone is set: a diamond, ruby, or sapphire that reads as the concentrated solar fire at the disc’s heart.

As a result, the Ynthi Pendant carries both the astronomical precision of the Incan solar calendar and the devotional quality of the sun disc as sacred object.

The Solar Disc

The sun disc with its radiating rays and central gemstone is the soul of this design. Specifically, the rays create a form of radial energy — the sun’s light directed outward from a central point, the same geometry that the Inca understood as Inti’s own nature.

Worn close to the body, the Ynthi Pendant carries the sun god’s disc against the skin. Furthermore, the gemstone at the centre catches the light with the intensity of concentrated solar fire — the Punchau’s golden point, the brightest place in the sanctuary.

In this way, the Ynthi Pendant carries the quality of Inti: the radiance that makes everything visible, the warmth that makes everything grow.

Ynthi Pendant in 18k Gold and Colored Gemstones

In rose gold the sun disc glows with warmth, set with a ruby that burns at the centre like the Andean sun at noon. In white gold the Ynthi Pendant turns cool and radiant, a sapphire reading at the solar centre with the deep blue of high-altitude Andean sky.

In yellow gold it radiates with full golden intensity — the Punchau itself, the golden disc of Inti at the most sacred moment of the solstice sunrise. Whichever stone you choose, the rays hold their radiance.

Craftsmanship and 3D Precision

Each Ynthi Pendant was developed in 3D modeling software and brought to life through precision 3D printing and meticulous hand-finishing.

The sun disc with radiating rays demands digital modeling: every ray must radiate from the centre with perfect symmetry so the pendant reads as a true solar disc, the gemstone setting must hold the stone at exactly the focal point, and the pendant must hang true so the disc presents facing outward.

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 Ynthi 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 Incan solar deity Inti and the Andean sun traditions in the Hispanic Division of the Library of Congress.