This singular 36-inch pendant necklace is both object and artifact: a contemporary talisman with roots in antiquity. At its core is an antique carnelian bead, recently repurposed as the backdrop for three Grylli, imaginative hybrid creatures hand carved with artistry and care. Suspended on a solid 18k gold handmade chain, the piece invites touch, contemplation, and ritual. Its length is purposeful, meant to turn in the hand, to be spun like a charm, to ground or to wish on. Set between custom matte gold caps accented with round brilliant diamonds, and finished with a single natural diamond briolette, this necklace is an homage to both ancient protection amulets and personal adornment.

The Gryllus, has a long and strange lineage. In ancient Roman jewelry, they appeared on engraved gems worn as talismans, often featuring combinations of human heads, animals, and insects. Meant to confound evil and amuse the wearer, these composite beings carried symbolic potency: wisdom, swiftness, cleverness, vigor, foresight. Centuries later, in medieval times, the Gryllus reemerged in manuscripts and marginalia, reflecting new cultural anxieties. Following the decline of the plague and leprosy, social fears shifted from physical decay to the unpredictability of human behavior. The liminal zone between man and beast, sacred and absurd, became fertile ground for imagination and superstition.

The three faces of this piece feature distinct Grylli hand carved in high detail, each a fantastical union of species and symbolic cues. There is reverence here, but also a wink. These creatures defy taxonomy, echoing anxieties and humor in equal measure. This play between the devotional and the distorted was a way of processing chaos; humans reckoning with the world by inventing their own methods of meaning.

With this piece, we wanted to conjure that same spirit. Rooted in history but not bound to it, the Grylli reflect the enduring impulse to give shape to uncertainty, sometimes reverent, sometimes playful, often both. The tensions they once embodied aren’t so distant from our own: the friction of shared existence, the thin seam between order and unraveling. In that way, nothing is ever entirely new, yet our humanity persists. We’re still compelled to make meaning in the world around us... and we honor this impulse in the way we know best: through jewelry. Read more about this one of a kind piece on our blog.

18k premium recycled yellow gold
Antique carnelian bead
Hand sketched & hand carved (New York City)
0.28 carats total of natural, round brilliant diamonds
0.72 carat natural briolette cut diamond
36 inch handmade chain (Los Angeles, USA)
ONE OF A KIND

This special necklace is designed and crafted in house using ethically sourced natural stones and premium recycled gold.

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One of a Kind Gryllus Amulet