Engraved School Seal Pendant in Gold-Plated Silver
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Gold-plated sterling silver
A parent guild board member came to us wanting to turn her academy's crest into a wearable pendant, first for herself and eventually as a fundraising item for the wider school community. The original crest included a Latin motto that proved too small to engrave legibly at a wearable size, so the board worked through a few layout options before settling on a version that kept the design balanced. When the finished piece arrived, one early reaction compared it to a well-known jewelry brand's style — a good sign for a fundraiser piece meant to appeal broadly.
'Wow! That's very [luxury brand style].' — secondhand reaction relayed by client after showing the finished pendant to a community member
Quick specs
Primary Metal
Primary Stone
Accent Stones
Design Complexity
Intent: Certainty
Size
Pendant approximately 1.2in diameter. Chain 18in paperclip style, approximately 2.1mm width.
How they made it distinctive
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01
Crest layout redesigned specifically to keep the Latin motto legible at a compact 1.2-inch size
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02
Sacred heart, star, and flame emblem plus laurel wreath and founding date all captured in a single casting rather than layered afterward
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03
Paperclip-style chain chosen specifically so one chain design could suit many different wearers in a future bulk order
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04
Piece designed from the outset to double as both a personal pendant and a template for a larger fundraising batch
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05
Bail cast separately and fitted to the pendant to accept the adjustable paperclip chain
How you'd make it yours
Crest detail: this piece keeps the full emblem and wreath — a new commission could simplify detail for a smaller or child-sized version
Metal: this piece is gold-plated sterling silver; the same design works in gold-plated brass or solid gold at different cost points
Chain: this piece uses a paperclip chain; a new commission could pair the pendant with a cable or curb chain instead
Engraving: a second design or phrase could be added to the reverse side on a new commission
One of a kind: this exact pendant was designed for one academy's crest and is not reproduced as a generic template — a new commission is an original piece inspired by this one, not a copy
Design changes made
The Latin motto was originally planned for the center of the crest, but at 1.2 inches it printed unreadably small — the team tried three layout options (motto on the outer ring, motto on the back, or the wreath repositioned) before the client chose moving the motto to the outer ring in place of the location text, which was dropped from the design altogether.
Who this is for
This piece is for an organization or institution that wants its own emblem turned into something wearable rather than just printed on merchandise. It's especially suited to a group building a keepsake or fundraiser item, where one well-designed sample needs to work at scale for many different future wearers.
How it's made
After the sketch was approved, the design was rebuilt without the location text and refined until the crest's lettering stayed legible at 1.2 inches, then converted into a 3D CAD model and rendered for review. A resin model was 3D-printed and photographed for the client before casting, attached to a wax tree, invested in plaster, and burned out in a kiln to leave a hollow mold. Molten sterling silver was then cast into the mold under pressure to form the raw medallion.
Once cast, the piece was cleaned, polished, and gold-plated to achieve the finished 14k-look gold surface. The crest's raised border text, sacred heart emblem, star and flame details, laurel wreath, and founding date were all captured in the casting itself rather than added afterward, so the engraved and raised elements were finished together in one polishing pass. The bail was cast separately and fitted to accept a paperclip-style chain, matching the reference chain the client requested for its adjustable, resizable link structure.
Key note
The crest's fine outer-ring text and the raised emblem at center were captured directly in the casting rather than engraved afterward, which is why layout had to be finalized before the mold was made — not corrected once the piece existed in metal.
Pricing guidance
A moderately detailed institutional medallion pendant in gold-plated sterling silver sits toward the lower end of the mid-range for custom pendant work. Most of the cost comes from the CAD design time needed to fit dense text and emblem detail into a compact size, rather than from material cost. Ordering in bulk for a group or fundraiser meaningfully changes the per-piece cost compared to a single sample.
Moves price up ↑
- ↑ Upgrading from gold-plated sterling silver to solid 14k gold for a longer-lasting finish
- ↑ Increasing the pendant size to make the crest text and emblem more legible
- ↑ Adding a second engraved side, such as the motto on the back of the pendant
- ↑ Ordering multiple chain style options rather than a single standardized chain
- ↑ Adding gemstone accents to the crest emblem
Moves price down ↓
- ↓ Simplifying the crest detail to reduce CAD design and finishing time
- ↓ Choosing gold-plated brass instead of gold-plated sterling silver for bulk orders
- ↓ Standardizing on a single chain style across the full order
- ↓ Reducing pendant size where legibility of text allows it
- ↓ Ordering in a larger batch to lower the per-piece production cost
Questions people ask
Yes. A printed crest or logo can be converted into a dimensional pendant, but small text and fine detail often need to be reworked to stay legible at wearable sizes. In this case, a Latin motto that was readable on paper became nearly invisible at 1.2 inches, so the layout was rebuilt around the constraint. The process typically starts with a sketch, moves to a 3D render for approval, and then into casting.
Gold-plated sterling silver uses a .925 silver base under the gold plating, while gold-plated brass uses a base metal alloy instead. Sterling silver generally holds plating better over time and has a different weight and feel than brass. For bulk or fundraiser orders, brass is typically the lower-cost option, while sterling silver costs more per piece but offers a more substantial base metal.
After the design is approved, production typically takes a few weeks: the piece is 3D printed in resin first, then cast in metal, and finally cleaned, polished, and plated. Complex crest designs with fine detail can take longer in the design phase, since layout adjustments are often needed before the piece is ready to cast. Bulk orders following an approved sample can generally be produced on a separate, faster timeline once the design is locked.
A paperclip-style chain has larger, elongated links that make it easy to shorten or extend by opening one of the links, unlike a fixed-length chain. This makes it a practical choice for a piece meant to be worn by many different people, such as a fundraiser or group order, since it doesn't need to be sized to one individual. It also has a more substantial, visible look compared to a fine cable chain.
Yes, gold plating is a surface layer over a base metal and will gradually wear with regular contact and handling, especially at high-friction points. How long it lasts depends on plating thickness and how often the piece is worn, but re-plating is a standard service most jewelers can perform. This is a normal tradeoff for choosing a gold-plated piece over solid gold, and it doesn't affect the underlying casting or detail.
A single sample pendant with this level of crest detail in gold-plated sterling silver sits toward the lower end of the mid-range for custom pendant work, largely because of the design time needed to fit the emblem and text into a compact size. Per-piece cost drops significantly when ordering in bulk, since the CAD design is already finished and doesn't need to be recreated. Chain style and base metal choice are the two biggest variables in the final per-piece price for a larger order.
Yes, this pendant combines a raised border of lettering with an engraved-look emblem and wreath detail, all captured in a single casting rather than added in separate steps. This lets a design carry both dimensional and fine-line elements without needing multiple production passes. The tradeoff is that all of the detail has to be finalized in the 3D model before casting, since it can't be substantially altered afterward.
A smaller version of an existing design is possible, but fine text and detail that are already tight at the original size will need further simplification to stay legible at a smaller scale. Because the CAD design already exists, adapting it for a smaller size is generally faster than starting from scratch. The main design work involves deciding what detail to simplify or remove so the piece still reads clearly in metal.
