AREG AKOPYAN.
Portfolio / Jewelry Design / The Chi Rho Cross

01 / Original Jewelry Design · Manufactured Piece

The Chi Rho Cross.

One cross. Two faces. A personal work of Christian symbolism, celestial proportion, Armenian heritage and family remembrance.

The finished piece began with hand-measured proportions and an original SolidWorks design. Its two faces tell distinct stories, united in a single object.

Watch the cross ↗Discover the design
Two-sidedDistinct symbolic faces
CAD-designedOriginal geometry
ManufacturedReal finished jewelry
THE ACTUAL MANUFACTURED CROSS · SIDE IReal Chi Rho Cross astronomical blue face with central Sun, planets, constellations and Chi Rho bail
01 / CELESTIAL FACE

03 / Explore the physical piece

Two faces.
Every detail has a story.

Inspect the original cross in motion. Drag across the viewer, move the timeline, or choose a detail below.

ORIGINAL FOOTAGE · 0.0 sOriginal footage of the Chi Rho CrossDRAG TO INSPECT ↔ · ORIGINAL PHOTOGRAPHY

Photographic inspection · use arrow keys to move through the recording.

A physical story in the metal

The gold edges are part of the design.

The sidewalls carry personal inscriptions, transcribed as Mark, Maytinee, S55, Dark, Pasadena, 2017, 2018, Areg, Astkhik, Ara, Narek and Yerevan.

Astkhik is my mother. The white Armenian face commemorates family and heritage, while the blue face traces a celestial composition through the Sun, planets and constellations.

This viewer uses the original photographs and recording of the manufactured piece. The timeline follows the recording, not calibrated rotation angles.

Watch the full original video ↗

04 / The piece in motion

Not a rendering. The finished cross, turning in hand.

Original footage reveals the depth, polished edges, two-sided relief and the pendant on its leather chain. The original recording was captured inside a phone interface; this presentation isolates the jewelry footage.

ORIGINAL CROSS VIDEO · CROPPED TO REMOVE PHONE INTERFACE · SOUNDLESS

Watch the original recording of the blue astronomical and white Armenian faces. The gallery beside it contains enlarged frames extracted from the recording; the original still photographs above remain the highest-detail reference.

Cross held in hand, blue face
01 · Celestial face in hand
White Armenian face of cross in hand
02 · Reverse face
Side edge of cross, engraving detail
03 · Engraved edge
Cross pendant on leather chain
04 · Pendant and leather chain

05 / Designed with intention

Geometry, memory and faith.

The silhouette began with a printed image of the Pope's cross. I measured its proportions, translated them into my own dimensions and developed the original cross geometry.

For the astronomical face, I compared the diameters of the planets, used the smallest as the starting reference and scaled the remaining circular elements by their relative sizes. The Moon was intentionally enlarged so it would remain visible. Saturn received its distinctive ring.

Orion sits at the top, the Sun anchors the center, and the Big Dipper extends down the lower arm. The result is a deliberate composition rather than a random arrangement of stars.

ReferenceHand-measured proportions from a printed cross
MethodRelative planetary diameter ratios; Moon enlarged for legibility
ToolOriginal SolidWorks part and assembly design
Side profile photograph showing thickness and craftsmanship of the manufactured Chi Rho Cross

Manufactured object / profile detail — click to enlarge

06 / A second story on the reverse

Armenian heritage, carried close.

The white face was designed in Armenia, with symbols chosen for their personal and cultural significance.

01 / GEGHARD

The lions

The two lions draw inspiration from the carved animals above the doorway at Geghard Church in Armenia.

02 / REMEMBRANCE

The memorial

The lower arm incorporates the Armenian Genocide Memorial as a symbol of remembrance and continuity.

03 / FAMILY

The number 23

At the top of the reverse face, 23 represents the designer and his mother—a personal mark within the larger composition.

07 / The signature

Even the attachment has a purpose.

The leather-chain attachment carries the Chi Rho (☧), an early Christian monogram formed from the Greek letters Chi and Rho.

Rendered on the cross in white and blue, the symbol makes the object's identity visible before the two larger faces are even examined.

Return to the full-size photographs ↑
Full blue face including white Chi Rho symbol on chain attachment

An original work by Areg Akopyan

A cross designed to hold a universe of meaning.

From measured geometry to a finished two-sided piece, The Chi Rho Cross brings together astronomy, Christian tradition and Armenian heritage.

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