If arts and crafts were your favorite activities in school, then making your own piece of custom jewelry probably sounds exciting. But if you were more of a history buff, creating a custom pendant might sound like a daunting task.

However, custom jewelry is one of the best ways to fully express yourself, and the combinations are really endless. Not to mention, you don’t actually have to do any of the hard work when it comes to concocting your ultimate piece of custom bling.

We can do most of the dirty work, but you can do the fun stuff.

Here are some tips for how to design your perfect pendant with ease:

Suit Your Style

Your first step in designing your perfect piece of custom jewelry is deciding which style you want to show off. And when it comes to pendants, you have a ton of options.

If you’ve got a special word or phrase that has a special meaning, you may want to consider starting with a word pendant. These let you write out any phrase, word, name, place, or thing that you can imagine. It’s a perfect way to convey an idea without ever needing to open up your mouth.

2 Tone Layered Letter Custom Pendant

When crafting a word pendant, you may want to try to stack words on top of each other rather than writing them out on a single line. This can make the pendant feel more balanced and easier to look at.

However, pictures can speak a thousand words. And if you have a logo, person, or place that means a lot to you, what better way to commemorate them than by wearing it around your neck? Picture pendants let you ice out any picture imaginable for a look that is entirely individualized to you.

3D Custom Picture Pendant

Picture pendants give you a lot of freedom, but you’ll want to make sure that the color scheme of your chosen photo will match the outfits that you’re looking to pair it with.

If you want to show a special someone that you love them, but you want to be able to keep it private from the world, then you can turn your picture pendant into a custom locket instead. These let you choose any picture just like a picture pendant, except they’ll be shielded by a layer of stunning gemstones. It makes a perfect gift to show your loved one how much you care.

Once you’ve chosen your base, you can move on to some of the other elements that will contribute to your pendant's final design.

Craft Your Color

Your word or picture pendant needs a base to rest on, and the type of gold that you select can make an impact on how the final product looks.

Gold

Traditional, 18k gold has the classic yellowish hue that is reminiscent of royalty. It’s a color that contrasts nicely with lighter colors. So if you want your words to be white, or if your picture contains lighter colors, this might be a good choice.

Platinum

However, if you want something that feels a bit more modern, white gold might be the design you’ll want to go with. White gold looks and feels like platinum, which can give your custom pendant a polished and pristine appearance.

It combines well with most colors, though it might look best when paired with a more vibrant color, as the white gold will really bring out its more subtle hues.

Rose Gold

And if neither of those suits your style, you can always go with rose gold. Rose gold takes on a pinkish hue thanks to the addition of copper alloys, making for a completely unique look that will work on any custom piece.

A heart locket begs to be covered with rose gold, but you can use this base on any pendant and feel confident about how the final product will turn out.

The Perfect Purchase

The color gold that you decide for your pendant is a largely personal preference, though it can have an effect on how the final product feels. Experiment with different metals until you find the one that works best.

Additionally, you’ll need to choose thetypeof gold to use. Solid gold pieces will have an aura that exudes success and wealth, and they might be able to last you for a longer time. The only drawback is these tend to run a higher price tag. (Not to mention how soft pure gold is.)

However, you can go with gold plating or gold vermeil to get a similar look for a much more accessible price. Gold plating involves laying a thin layer of gold over top of a base metal, such as silver.

The finished product looks nearly identical — it’s just much more prone to wear and tear. If you’re committed to frequent cleanings, gold plating might be a viable option for you.

Choose Your Chain

Designing the pendant itself is undoubtedly important, but it’s not the only component of crafting your perfect pendant. In fact, your custom piece won’t have much purpose without an equally stylish chain to hang from.
When choosing a chain for your custom piece, a good rule of thumb is to make sure that the chain’s metal matches the one you’re using on the pendant. For example, if you get a white gold word pendant, make sure you’re getting a white gold chain to coincide.

3mm Franco Chain White Gold

But on top of that, you want to make sure that the chain is the right width. The chain for your custom pendant should be no wider than 3mm, as anything larger may be too thick for the piece to hang onto.

Additionally, you want to make sure that the length of the chain matches your style, as well. Anything 22 inches or below will hang just slightly under your neck, but anything longer than 22 may start to hang down towards your chest. This, again, comes down to personal preference, but it’s good to be aware of how low your pendant will hang before you buy.

Your Sign To Design

Designing your very own custom pendant is supposed to be exciting, and having full control over the finished product can let your imagination run wild. And creating your own custom piece doesn’t require a degree in art.

Once you’ve chosen from a word pendant, picture pendant, or custom locket, you just need to decide what color and type of gold you want your piece to rest on. Finally, make sure you have a stunning chain to match in order to complete your brand new custom look.

Most retailers don’t give you the same level of customization for such an accessible price, and that’s part of what makes 6 Ice stand out above the rest. When you’re ready to start making your custom creation, discover the endless opportunities at 6 Ice to create high-quality pieces.

 

Sources:

Platinum - Element information, properties and uses | Royal Society of Chemistry

​​Platinum vs. White Gold vs. Yellow Gold vs. Rose Gold | The Diamond Pro

Why do we value gold? | BBC News