Let's take a look behind-the-scenes at how a custom pendant is made. You will see how the process unfolds starting with the sketches, then the wax carving and finishing with the final product.
Concept Origin
When this custom inquiry came in, I just couldn't stand how cute the concept and meaning was. This adorable mama & baby rabbit duo is a surprise push present for a new mom. It's a little something special to celebrate a new joyous life chapter!
Sketches
Every custom piece starts with a series of sketches. For this particular necklace, we nail it in the first round of sketches.
Wax Carving
Hand-carving the piece is where I have the most fun. This pendant started as a raw block of green wax that I slowly carve away with small hand tools and a hot wax pen. The wax always goes through a phase where it just looks down right ugly before it starts looking nice!
For a relief carving like this one, I like to do a graphite transfer from my sketch to the wax. It gives me a rough version of the sketch to work from.
Ready For Casting
All the details are in place and the fur texture is added. The diamond is temporarily put in place to double check that the setting is the right size. The bail is added last with the hot wax pen. And it's ready to be cast into white gold.
The Finished Necklace
After the pendant is cast into 14k white gold, it goes through a casting cleaning process where it is cleaned up and polished. The diamond is set in place and the chain is added. And then this pendant is finished and ready to make it's way to its new home.
