Custom Jewelry Guide · Published
How a custom pendant is made
A custom pendant takes four steps. First we meet to talk about it, then we find your stone. Next we design it in CAD — computer software that draws a 3D model before we make it. Last, our jewelers finish it by hand.
This guide walks you through each step, then covers the three design directions most pendants fall into.
Want to start now instead of reading? See custom pendants in Atlanta to see what we build and book a consultation.
What Your Custom Pendant Commission Involves
A custom pendant goes through four steps before it reaches you. First we meet to talk about it, then we find your stone. Next we design it, and last, our jewelers finish it by hand. Here is what each step involves.
- Stone sourcing — bring your own diamond, or a family heirloom for us to reset. Or we find one for you: a natural diamond graded by GIA (a diamond-grading lab), a lab-grown diamond (grown in a lab instead of mined from the earth) graded by IGI, or a colored gemstone. We match it to your size, cut, and budget.
- CAD design & render — every pendant starts as a 3D drawing on the computer, and you approve it before we touch any metal.
- Setting, metal & chain — choose a bezel (a smooth metal rim that wraps around the stone’s edge), a prong (thin metal claws that grip the stone and let more light through it), or your own original setting. We build it in 14K or 18K gold — white, yellow, or rose — or in platinum, paired with a chain sized and finished to match.
- Timeline — most pendants take a few weeks from your approved design to delivery. We set a firm date at your first meeting, before any work starts.
Bring us a Pinterest board, a family heirloom, or a rough sketch. Our jewelers turn your idea into a CAD design and refine it with you in person — see the full custom jewelry process for a full walkthrough of how we design your pendant with you, from first sketch to finished piece.
Custom Diamond & Gold Pendant Designs
Most pendants fall into one of three directions, and you can also combine them in a single design.
- Custom diamond pendants — a solitaire (one diamond set alone), a halo (a ring of small stones around the center stone), or a cluster of diamonds. We draw the setting around your stone instead of picking one from a catalog.
- Custom gold pendants — sculptural designs, or designs set with gemstones, in 14K or 18K yellow, white, or rose gold. Every piece is finished by hand.
- Pendants that carry a name or initial — a one-of-a-kind design, such as a custom diamond name pendant, that works a name or initial into the piece itself. It’s built just for you, not picked off a shelf.
Every pendant is built to pair with a chain length and finish you choose, so the whole piece — pendant and chain — reads as one design.
Related guides & collections
- Custom pendantsThe commission itself — diamond and gold pendant design.
- The custom jewelry processStage by stage, across every category we commission.
- Custom jewelry galleryPieces we can build for you — prototypes and past commissions, filterable by category.
- Diamond pendants in AtlantaReady-to-wear stock you can try on the same day.
Snellville, GA
Start Your Commission
Every custom pendant is designed and hand-finished in our Snellville, GA store, minutes from Atlanta. Book a private consultation to scope your design, or call to talk it through with a jeweler first.
Prefer to talk? Call (704) 684-7530