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A 14k yellow gold open-outline cross pendant with a heart silhouette overlapping at the top, set with six small round birthstones — red, yellow-green, and emerald green — clustered in leaf-like prong settings, on a cable chain.

Birthstone Cross Pendant with Overlapping Heart Design

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14k yellow gold, garnet, peridot, emerald

A client came to us wanting a cross and heart pendant carrying six birthstones for someone she described as preferring dainty necklaces. After the first sketch, she asked for the heart to sit off to one side instead of centered, so it would feel more layered rather than simply stacked on top of the cross — a small change that meant re-balancing the stone count to four on one side and two on the other. When it arrived, she wrote: 'It looks beautiful.'

'It does look amazing!' — on seeing the first render

'Thank you so much! It looks beautiful.' — on delivery

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Daily wear

Quick specs

Design type

Pendants

Primary Metal

Yellow gold 14k

Primary Stone

No stone

Accent Stones

Emeralds Other

Style

Birthday Cross Heart Leaf Religios Symbolic

Design Complexity

Moderate

Intent

A Gift That Says Everything

Intent: Certainty

Medium

Size

Pendant approximately 1.25in. Chain: 18in 14k yellow gold cable chain, 1.5mm width.

How they made it distinctive

01
Heart shifted to overlap only one side of the cross rather than sitting centered, at the client's request, for a more layered and dynamic look
02
Six birthstones split 4-and-2 across the design instead of a symmetrical 3-and-3, a direct result of the asymmetrical heart placement
03
Each stone framed by a small leaf-like detail rather than a plain prong setting
04
Kept to a compact 1.25-inch scale specifically because the intended wearer prefers dainty necklaces
05
Open linework construction throughout, keeping the piece lightweight despite six individually set stones

How you'd make it yours

Stone selection: this piece uses garnet, peridot, and emerald — a new commission could use any birthstone combination to represent different people

Stone count: this piece uses six stones in a 4-and-2 split — a new commission could use more or fewer stones depending on how many people are represented

Metal: this piece is 14k yellow gold — the same open cross-and-heart design works in white or rose gold

Size: this piece is sized at 1.25 inches for a dainty preference — a new piece is sized to its own wearer's preference

Chain: this piece uses an 18-inch cable chain — a new commission could pair with a different chain style or length

One of a kind: this exact pendant was designed for one client's gift and is not reproduced — a new commission is an original piece inspired by this one, not a copy

Design changes made

The heart element was shifted to overlap only the right side of the cross, leaving the left side open, after the client felt the centered version looked like it was just sitting on top. This required increasing the pendant size slightly (from 1 inch to 1.25 inches) and re-arranging the six stones to a 4-and-2 split rather than 3-and-3.

Who this is for

This piece is for someone choosing a gift that represents specific people through their birthstones, but who wants it to still look and feel delicate rather than like a statement piece. It's especially right if the person receiving it prefers understated, everyday jewelry and you want the meaning built into the design itself rather than announced by its size.

How it's made

Once the final render was approved, the design moved into production quality assurance, where the team confirmed the piece was ready for casting and the six small gemstones were fitted to their settings. A wax model was 3D printed and attached to a wax tree, which was invested in plaster and fired in a kiln to burn out the wax and leave a hollow mold. Molten 14k yellow gold was then cast into the mold, cooled, and released as the raw pendant. After casting, the open cross-and-heart framework was cleaned up and polished to a bright finish, with particular attention to the thin overlapping linework where the heart meets the cross. The six 2mm birthstones — two garnets, two peridots, and two emeralds — were then hand-set into their small leaf-framed settings along the heart's edge, moving from one side to the other to keep the spacing even despite the asymmetrical layout.

Key note

The stones on this piece are quite small at only 2mm each, which is part of how the design stayed close to its original dainty scale even after the size was increased to fit the fourth stone on one side.

Pricing guidance

An open cross-and-heart pendant with six small birthstones in 14k yellow gold sits in the mid range for custom pendants of this complexity. The main cost drivers are the fine open linework construction and the hand-setting of six individual small stones rather than a single center stone. Gold weight and stone count are what move the price most from the baseline.

Moves price up ↑

↑
Increasing the number of birthstones beyond six
↑
Upgrading from 14k to 18k gold for a warmer, higher-purity finish
↑
Enlarging the pendant beyond 1.25 inches, which increases metal weight and casting complexity
↑
Adding a center stone to the open cross area
↑
Choosing a heavier chain gauge or a more elaborate chain style than a standard cable chain

Moves price down ↓

↓
Reducing the number of birthstones from six to three or four
↓
Simplifying the leaf-frame detailing around each stone
↓
Keeping the pendant at a smaller scale, such as the original 1-inch size
↓
Choosing a thinner, simpler chain rather than a statement style
↓
Using a single stone type instead of three different birthstone varieties

Questions people ask

Can you make a pendant with multiple birthstones for different family members?

Yes, this is a common request — birthstones can be set individually around a design like a cross, heart, or other motif to represent different people. In this piece, six small 2mm stones (two garnets, two peridots, two emeralds) were set along the edge of an open heart-and-cross design. The stones are typically kept small and uniform in size so the overall piece stays balanced and doesn't feel heavy. This kind of multi-stone layout does take longer to set than a single center stone because each stone is placed and secured individually.

How small can birthstones be in a pendant like this?

Birthstones this size are commonly cut at around 2mm, which is one of the smaller standard sizes available. At that size, the stones read clearly as color accents without adding significant weight or size to the overall piece. This makes it possible to keep a multi-stone design compact and lightweight, which matters if the piece needs to stay dainty. Smaller stones are also generally more affordable per stone than larger center-cut gems.

What's the difference between garnet, peridot, and emerald for a birthstone piece?

Garnet is a deep red stone commonly associated with January, peridot is a bright yellow-green stone associated with August, and emerald is a rich green stone typically associated with May. All three are reasonably durable for everyday wear in a pendant, since pendants see less impact than rings. Emerald is the most delicate of the three and benefits from a protective setting rather than an exposed edge, while garnet and peridot are both harder and more forgiving. Mixing warm and cool tones like these together is a common way to visually distinguish which stone represents which person.

How much does a custom birthstone pendant like this typically cost?

A pendant with an open linework design and six small birthstones set in 14k yellow gold falls in the mid range for custom pendant work. Costs are driven mainly by the labor of the fine linework and hand-setting each stone individually rather than by the stones themselves, since small birthstones are not a major cost factor. Adding more stones, upsizing the pendant, or upgrading the gold karat would move the price higher, while simplifying the stone count or keeping the piece smaller would bring it down. A chain, if needed, is priced separately from the pendant itself.

How long does it take to make a custom pendant like this?

From design approval to a finished, shipped piece, this type of pendant typically takes about four to five weeks. That time covers wax model printing, casting, polishing, and hand-setting each stone. Before that, the design phase itself — sketch, 3D render, and any revisions — usually takes about a week. Adjustments during the design phase, like shifting an element's placement, are made before production begins so they don't add to the production timeline.

Can the layout of a cross and heart design be adjusted after the first sketch?

Yes, adjustments like this are a normal part of the design process. In this piece, the heart was originally sketched centered over the cross, and the client asked for it to instead overlap only one side so the two shapes would feel more woven together rather than stacked. That kind of layout change can affect how many stones fit on each side and may require a small size increase to keep the design proportional. Changes like this are made at the render stage, before any metal is cast.

Do the gold color and finish match the render exactly?

The render is a close representation, but yellow gold's exact color and luster can vary slightly between the digital render and the finished cast piece. This is normal across the industry and isn't a defect — light, photography, and monitor calibration all affect how gold appears in a render. The actual piece is polished by hand after casting, which gives it a warmth and shine that's hard to fully replicate digitally. Clients are typically advised of this before final approval so there are no surprises.

Can I add a chain later if I don't decide on one right away?

Yes, a chain can be added to a pendant order at any point, even after the pendant itself has shipped. In this case, the client paid for the pendant first and added an 18-inch 14k yellow gold cable chain about a month later once she'd decided on the length and style. Popular chain options are usually provided as photos with pricing so the choice can be made independently of the pendant timeline. This flexibility is common since chain preference often comes down to personal fit and style.