Hummingbird Heart Memorial Pendants — Matching Pair
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Gold-plated sterling silver, garnet, emerald
A client commissioned this pair of hummingbird pendants as a memorial gift for a mother and daughter who had recently lost someone significant to them. She wanted the two birds to complete a single heart when placed together, one in rose gold, one in yellow gold, each with its own colored stone eye. When they received the finished pieces, she wrote back that the mother and daughter absolutely loved them.
'Oh, that is perfect!' — on seeing the first render
'Yes, they were fantastic, and the mother and daughter they were for absolutely loved them, thank you so much for bringing my vision to life, it really meant a lot.' — on delivery
Quick specs
Primary Metal
Secondary Metal
Shape / Cut
Primary Stone
Accent Stones
Design Complexity
Intent: Certainty
Size
Each pendant approximately 1 inch. Chains: two 18-inch cable chains.
How they made it distinctive
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Split-heart concept: two separate hummingbird pendants that form a single heart shape only when placed together
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Two-tone pairing: one bird in rose gold, one in yellow gold, so each recipient wears a distinct piece
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Stone-set eyes: a round emerald and a round garnet each placed as the eye of their respective bird, adding color without altering the silhouette
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Flat-with-dimensional-detail styling gives textured wing and tail feathers visible depth while keeping the pendant lightweight
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Designed as a gift for two people to wear separately, rather than a single shared piece
How you'd make it yours
Stone: this piece uses emerald and garnet eyes; a new commission could use birthstones or sapphires for a different color pairing
Metal: this piece is gold-plated silver in rose and yellow tones; the same design works in solid 14k gold or a single matching tone
Size: this piece is made at 1 inch per bird; a new commission can be sized larger or smaller
Chain: this piece uses 18-inch cable chains color-matched to each pendant; a new piece could use a different chain length or style
One of a kind: this exact pendant pair was designed for two specific recipients and is not reproduced — a new commission is an original piece inspired by this one, not a copy
Design changes made
Design matched the initial brief without major changes.
Who this is for
This piece is for someone looking to give a matched set of jewelry to two people who share a bond — a parent and child, siblings, or close friends — rather than a single gift. It's especially fitting for anyone who wants a design that only reveals its full meaning when both pieces are seen together, and who values a piece that carries quiet symbolism rather than an overt statement.
How it's made
Once the design was approved, 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 sterling silver was then cast into each mold to form the two hummingbird bodies, which were cleaned and prepared for finishing before plating.
Each pendant was finished and then gold-plated in its intended tone — one in yellow gold, one in rose gold — to achieve the two-tone pairing. The wing and tail feather detail was refined by hand after casting so the dimensional texture would read clearly at the 1-inch scale. The round emerald and garnet were then set individually as the eye of each bird, positioned identically on each pendant so the pair reads as a matched set.
Key note
The two birds were cast and plated separately in different gold tones from a single shared design file, so the wing and feather detailing lines up identically on both pendants despite the color difference.
Pricing guidance
A pair of dimensional gold-plated silver pendants with stone-set eyes sits toward the lower-to-mid range for two-piece custom commissions. Casting two individual pieces from one design, plus two colors of plating and two stone settings, adds cost beyond a single pendant. Choosing solid gold instead of plated silver is the largest single driver of a higher price for a design like this.
Moves price up ↑
- ↑ Casting both pendants in solid 14k or 18k gold instead of gold-plated silver
- ↑ Upgrading the stone eyes to genuine sapphire or ruby rather than garnet and emerald
- ↑ Increasing the pendant size beyond 1 inch, which requires more metal and more hand-finishing time
- ↑ Adding engraving to the back of either pendant
- ↑ Using two different metals in solid form (rose and yellow gold) rather than plating a shared base
Moves price down ↓
- ↓ Making both pendants in the same metal tone rather than a two-tone pair
- ↓ Reducing to a single pendant if the heart-split concept isn't needed
- ↓ Choosing a simpler bird silhouette with less dimensional wing texture
- ↓ Substituting the stone eyes with cubic zirconia instead of natural garnet and emerald
- ↓ Shortening the chain length from 18 inches
Questions people ask
Yes, this is a split-design pendant set — two separate hummingbird pendants that are each complete on their own but form a heart shape when placed beak to beak. The design has to be planned as a single file split into two pieces so the proportions line up correctly. This works well for pendants meant to be worn by two different people, such as a parent and child or two siblings.
Gold-plated sterling silver has a sterling silver base with a layer of gold applied over the surface, while solid gold is gold throughout. Plated pieces achieve the same visual color and finish at a lower cost, but the plating layer will gradually wear with daily contact, especially at edges and high-friction points. Solid gold does not wear down the same way and holds its color indefinitely. Many clients choose plating for pendants that are worn occasionally rather than daily, since the plating lasts longer under lighter use.
Garnet rates about 6.5 to 7.5 on the Mohs hardness scale and holds up well to daily wear with normal care. Emerald is softer at 7.5 to 8 on the scale but has more internal inclusions than most gemstones, making it more prone to chipping if knocked against a hard surface. Both stones are commonly used in pendants because pendants see less impact than rings or bracelets. Cleaning with a soft cloth and avoiding ultrasonic cleaners is recommended for both.
A two-piece pendant set with dimensional detail and a stone-set accent on each piece typically sits toward the lower-to-mid range for custom work, since two individual pieces are cast, finished, and set with stones. Choosing gold-plated silver over solid gold keeps the cost down significantly compared to producing both pendants in solid metal. Stone choice, pendant size, and whether both pieces share a metal tone or use two different tones also affect the final price.
The design phase typically takes about a week, during which a sketch and then a 3D render are produced for approval. Once the design is approved, production takes roughly three to four weeks, covering wax printing, casting, plating, and stone setting. A two-piece set with two plating colors does not typically add significant time over a single pendant, since both pieces move through production together.
Yes, the round stone-eye detail on this design can be set with a variety of gemstones as long as the stone can be cut small enough for the setting, typically a few millimeters in diameter. Birthstones, sapphires, or lab-created alternatives all work in this same setting style. The stone choice does not change the construction of the piece, only the sourcing and cost.
Yes, the hummingbird motif works as a standalone pendant if the heart-split concept isn't needed. A single bird can be scaled up slightly for more visual presence on its own, or kept at the same 1-inch size. The wing and feather detailing, stone-eye setting, and plating options all apply the same way to a single-pendant version.
Yes, both pendants in a two-tone pair like this are cast from the same design file, so the silhouette, wing detail, and proportions match exactly between the two pieces. Only the metal plating color and the stone color differ. This ensures that when the two pendants are placed together, the heart shape forms cleanly without any mismatch in size or shape.
