Home Get Inspired Pendants Great Seal Eagle Medallion Pendant in Sterling Silver

A large round sterling silver pendant featuring a raised dimensional eagle from the Great Seal of the United States, bordered by a ring of small pave-set stones, worn on a silver curb chain against a white marble surface.

Great Seal Eagle Medallion Pendant in Sterling Silver

$$$

Sterling silver, moissanite

A client wanted a large medallion pendant built around the Great Seal eagle design, working from a reference photo he supplied and refining it through several rounds of feedback until the eagle, banner, and crest sat exactly as he pictured them. He moved from a flatter first version to a more dimensional, raised relief after asking for the design to "bubble out more," and settled on a full high-polish finish over a mixed matte-and-polish option. When it shipped, he wrote that he was so happy it was done and couldn't wait to wear it.

'Yes I love it. We can move forward to the next step' — on design approval

'Thank you. I am so happy it's done can't wait to give it a spin.' — on delivery

Start your project

Daily wear For himself Make Your Mark Cultural or heritage, Identity expression

Quick specs

Design type

Pendants

Primary Metal

Sterling silver

Shape / Cut

Round

Primary Stone

Moissanite

Accent Stones

Other

Style

3D Animals Coin medallion Cultural heritage Heraldry Medallion style Symbolic

Design Complexity

Complex

Intent

Make Your Mark Cultural or heritage, Identity expression

Intent: Certainty

High

Size

Pendant 3.5in diameter (88.9mm); bail sized to fit client's existing chain; pre-finish weight approximately 120 grams in sterling silver.

How they made it distinctive

01
Eagle, banner, and crest raised into dimensional relief rather than left flat, per the client's specific request to have the design "bubble out more"
02
Reference image swapped mid-design for one the client felt captured the eagle better, then refined through two more rounds
03
Continuous border of 116 round moissanite stones set individually around the full 3.5-inch edge
04
Bail sized specifically to fit the client's own existing chain rather than a new one supplied with the piece
05
Solid cast construction chosen over a hollow two-piece back after the client raised a weight concern, since a hollow build would have added labor without reducing weight

How you'd make it yours

Stone type: this piece uses moissanite around the border; a new commission could use natural or lab diamonds for a different sparkle character

Metal: this piece is sterling silver; the same medallion design works in 14k or 18k gold for a different tone and weight

Finish: this piece is fully high-polished; a new piece could contrast a matte background with polished raised details instead

Size: this piece is 3.5 inches in diameter; a new commission is sized to the wearer's own chain and preference

Color: this piece has no enamel fill; a new piece could add enamel coloring to the shield and crest elements

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

Design changes made

The client swapped in a different reference image of the eagle mid-design and asked for the relief to be raised higher and more dimensional rather than flat. He also dropped an earlier request for a grated/hollow back after learning it would require casting and joining two separate pieces, and chose a full high-polish finish over a part-matte option.

Who this is for

This piece is for someone who wants a large, statement-scale medallion with real dimensional depth rather than a flat engraved disc. It's especially right if you already have a substantial chain you want to build around, and you have a specific symbolic or heraldic image in mind that you want rendered with raised, sculptural detail rather than simplified.

How it's made

Once the design was approved, the 3D model was 3D-printed in wax and attached to a wax tree inside a flask. The flask went into a kiln to burn out the wax, leaving a hollow mold, and molten sterling silver was poured into that mold under pressure. After cooling, the raw medallion was broken out of the mold and prepared for finishing and stone setting. The cast medallion was cleaned up and hand-polished to a uniform high-polish finish across both the raised eagle, banner, and crest details and the surrounding background, rather than contrasting a matte field against polished elements. The continuous border of small round moissanite stones was then set by hand around the pendant's edge, one stone at a time, before final inspection and polishing.

Key note

The pendant was deliberately cast as a single solid piece rather than two halves joined together, because a hollow two-piece construction would have added significant labor and actually increased the overall weight rather than reducing it.

Pricing guidance

A large sterling silver medallion pendant with a continuous stone border and raised dimensional relief sits in the mid range for custom pendant work of this scale. Most of the cost comes from the sheer size of the piece and the labor of hand-finishing a fully dimensional relief design, plus setting a continuous border of 100+ small stones one at a time. Stone count and metal choice are what move the price most from there.

Moves price up ↑

↑
Upgrading from moissanite to natural or lab diamonds for the border stones
↑
Increasing the pendant diameter beyond 3.5 inches, which adds metal weight and finishing time
↑
Switching the base metal from sterling silver to 14k or 18k gold
↑
Adding enamel color fill to the shield and crest details
↑
Converting the back to a hollow two-piece construction instead of a solid cast back

Moves price down ↓

↓
Reducing the pendant diameter to a more standard 1.5–2 inch pendant size
↓
Lowering the stone count around the border or removing the stone border entirely
↓
Choosing a flatter, less dimensional relief that requires less hand-finishing
↓
Leaving the background in a satin or matte finish rather than full high polish
↓
Reducing the number of raised design elements copied from the reference image

Questions people ask

Is moissanite a good alternative to diamonds for a pendant border like this?

Moissanite is a lab-created stone that is extremely hard — 9.25 on the Mohs scale, just below diamond's 10 — so it holds up very well to daily wear and knocks. It has a higher refractive index than diamond, which means it throws off more rainbow-colored sparkle rather than diamond's whiter flash, a difference some people love and others want to avoid. For a continuous stone border on a large medallion pendant like this, moissanite keeps the look bright and sparkly at a lower cost than an equivalent number of natural diamonds. It is a distinct material from cubic zirconia and does not cloud or fog over time the way lower-quality simulants can.

How heavy is a sterling silver pendant this size?

A 3.5-inch sterling silver medallion with this much raised relief detail weighs in around 120 grams before final polishing, which is roughly the weight of five AA batteries. That is substantial for a pendant and worth factoring into what chain you pair it with — a thin chain can feel mismatched or even uncomfortable under that much weight over a full day of wear. A sturdier curb or cable-style chain in a comparable metal and gauge handles the weight more comfortably. Sterling silver itself is durable for everyday wear but will tarnish over time without occasional polishing.

What does a large custom medallion pendant like this typically cost?

A sterling silver medallion pendant at this scale — roughly 3.5 inches, with a fully dimensional raised relief design and a continuous border of 100+ small stones — sits in the mid range for custom pendant work. The main cost drivers are the size of the piece, the hand-finishing time required to bring a flat reference image into raised 3D relief, and the labor of setting each border stone individually. Switching the stone type or reducing the pendant's size are the two biggest levers for bringing the cost down or up from there.

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

Design typically takes about a week: an initial 3D render is produced from the client's reference photo and description, then refined through a few rounds of feedback until the design is approved. Production after approval usually runs three to four weeks, though sourcing a large quantity of matched stones — as with a continuous border of 100+ stones — can add some additional time if a particular quality or size needs to be restocked. From first deposit to shipping, a piece like this typically falls in the six-to-eight week range.

Can you make a pendant with a hollow or lightweight back instead of solid metal?

Yes, but it requires a different construction method: the piece has to be designed and cast as two separate pieces — a front and a back — each cast and polished individually, then joined together. This is more labor-intensive than a single solid cast piece, and depending on the design, a two-piece hollow construction can end up weighing about the same as or more than a solid one once both halves and the joint are accounted for. For most pendant designs, a solid cast back is the simpler and often lighter option.

Can an existing chain be used with a new custom pendant?

Yes — when a client already has a chain they want to use, the pendant's bail can be designed and sized specifically to fit that chain's width and link style. This is common with statement-size pendants, since the client may already own a chain substantial enough to support the pendant's weight. It's worth sharing a photo of the chain next to a common object for scale so the bail opening can be sized accurately before the design is finalized.

What's the difference between a high-polish finish and a matte finish on a dimensional pendant?

A high-polish finish takes every surface of the piece — both the raised design elements and the background — to a mirror-bright shine, which makes the whole pendant catch and reflect light uniformly. A matte or satin background paired with high-polish raised details instead creates contrast, so the raised eagle, banner, or crest elements visually pop against a softer, non-reflective field. Both are valid choices and come down to preference: full polish reads brighter and more traditional, while a mixed matte-and-polish finish emphasizes the dimensional relief more distinctly.

Can custom jewelry designs be adjusted after seeing the first 3D render?

Yes — the 3D render stage exists specifically for this kind of back-and-forth. A client can request a different reference image, ask for design elements to be made more or less dimensional, add or remove details, and change finish preferences before anything is cast. Keep in mind that once a piece has moved into production, some changes — like a structural element such as the bail or loop style — become much harder or impractical to revise, so it's worth confirming every detail during the render review stage.