Home Get Inspired Pendants Sterling Silver Sun Face Pendant — Radiating Rays Design

A polished sterling silver pendant shaped like a sun with a dimensional face and numerous curved, tapered rays, hanging from a rope chain.

Sterling Silver Sun Face Pendant — Radiating Rays Design

Sterling silver

B. returned to commission a second version of a sun pendant he'd had made before, this time asking for a different facial expression and a rounder, fuller shape. Through several rounds of review he refined the rays thicker, the face larger, and the bail ring thicker and smaller in diameter, while keeping the overall pendant close to its original 47mm size. When it arrived, he wrote simply: 'Looks perfect.'

'Looks perfect' — on final design approval

'Looks perfect' — on delivery

Start your project

For himself Complete the Set Second piece in a series

Quick specs

Design type

Pendants

Primary Metal

Sterling silver

Primary Stone

No stone

Accent Stones

None

Style

3D Human figure Sun Symbolic

Design Complexity

Complex

Intent

Complete the Set Second piece in a series

Intent: Certainty

High

Size

Pendant 47mm x 47mm. Sun rays taper from 3mm at base to 2mm at tip. Bail outer diameter 6mm, inner diameter 4mm, 2mm thickness.

How they made it distinctive

01
Sun face enlarged by roughly 1mm around its perimeter after the client felt the first version's face was too small for the ray frame
02
Bail intentionally repositioned down into the top ray rather than at its tip, since the tip was too thin to hold a secure connection
03
Rays thickened across two separate rounds of revision, ending in a tapered 3mm-to-2mm profile rather than a uniform thickness
04
Bail ring redesigned to a thicker 2mm wall with a 6mm outer / 4mm inner diameter at the client's request
05
Personal engraving corrected after the client caught a spelling error in the first render

How you'd make it yours

Face: this piece has a sculpted, rounder face with closed eyes — a new commission could use a different expression or more angular features

Metal: this piece is sterling silver — the same design works in 14k or 18k gold for a warmer tone

Ray thickness: this piece tapers from 3mm to 2mm — a new piece could use thinner or more uniform rays for a lighter feel

Size: this piece is sized to 47mm — a new commission is sized to its own wearer's preference

Engraving: the back of this piece carries a short personal inscription — a new piece can carry its own text

One of a kind: this exact pendant was designed for one client through several rounds of revision and is not reproduced — a new commission is an original piece inspired by this one, not a copy

Design changes made

The sun face was enlarged by about 1mm around its perimeter and the ray lengths shortened slightly to keep the overall pendant near 47mm. The rays were thickened in two rounds (first to 2mm, then tapering from 3mm to 2mm) and the bail ring was made smaller and thicker (6mm outer diameter, 4mm inner, 2mm thick) per the client's requests.

Who this is for

This piece is for someone who already knows what they want and is willing to go back and forth until the proportions feel exactly right. It's especially suited to someone building a small personal collection of related pieces, where each one is a variation on a design they keep coming back to.

How it's made

Once the final 3D model was approved, the design moved into a quality assurance pass before casting — the production team checked the model to ensure it would cast cleanly, given the fine detail in the facial features and the many thin, tapering rays. A wax or resin pattern was produced from the model, invested, and sterling silver was cast into the resulting mold under heat and pressure to form the raw pendant. After casting, the piece was cleaned of investment material and the surface was polished to a bright, reflective finish across the face and rays. The facial features were cleaned up by hand to keep the eyes, nose, and mouth crisp after polishing, and the bail — repositioned slightly down into the top ray for strength — was checked for a secure connection to the chain. The back of the pendant received a short personal engraving as a final finishing step before the piece was packaged.

Key note

The bail was deliberately moved down into the top ray rather than sitting at its very tip, because the ray tapers to a point too thin to support a structurally sound connection there.

Pricing guidance

A sculptural sterling silver pendant with this level of dimensional detail — a sculpted face plus many individually tapered rays — sits in the mid range for custom pendant work. Most of the cost comes from the hand-finishing needed to keep fine facial detail crisp after casting and polishing, plus the extra design rounds spent dialing in ray thickness and proportion. Size and metal choice are the next biggest levers on price.

Moves price up ↑

↑
Upgrading from sterling silver to 14k or 18k gold
↑
Increasing the overall pendant size beyond 47mm, which adds metal weight and finishing time
↑
Adding gemstone eyes or accent stones set into the face or rays
↑
Requesting additional rounds of structural or proportion revisions beyond the standard design phase
↑
Adding engraving on both the front and back rather than one side

Moves price down ↓

↓
Reducing the pendant to a smaller, simpler scale with fewer or shorter rays
↓
Choosing a flatter, less dimensional face rather than a fully sculpted one
↓
Skipping the custom engraving
↓
Using a thinner, lighter-gauge ray profile instead of the tapered thick design
↓
Sourcing a simpler, pre-made chain instead of a custom rope chain

Questions people ask

Is this sun pendant solid silver or plated?

This piece is cast in sterling silver, which is .925 silver throughout rather than a plated surface layer. Because the silver runs through the entire piece, it can be re-polished over time without the finish wearing through to a different base metal. Sterling silver will naturally tarnish with air exposure, especially with infrequent wear, but this is easily reversed with a polishing cloth. It's a durable, traditional choice for a sculptural pendant like this.

How durable is a design with that many thin rays?

Thin, tapering rays like these are more delicate than a solid pendant shape, so the design and bail placement matter for longevity. In this case the bail was deliberately set slightly down into the top ray rather than at its very tip, specifically because the tip was too thin to support the chain's weight securely. Rays were also thickened from an initial 1.75mm to a tapered 3mm-to-2mm profile during the design phase to improve strength. With normal daily wear this kind of reinforced ray design holds up well, though any fine-tipped jewelry benefits from being removed before activities with a lot of contact or snagging risk.

Can you make a custom pendant based on one I already ordered?

Yes, revisiting and adjusting an earlier design is a common request. In this case the client returned for a second version of a sun pendant with a different facial expression and a rounder, fuller shape, keeping the same general concept but changing the details. The process works the same way as a first-time order: a deposit starts the design phase, a 3D model is built and revised based on feedback, and production begins once the design is approved. Each piece is modeled individually, so changes like facial expression, ray thickness, or overall size can all be adjusted before anything is cast.

What does a sculptural silver pendant like this typically cost?

A dimensional pendant with a sculpted face and many individually shaped rays sits in the mid range for custom sterling silver pendant work. The price reflects the hand-finishing time needed to keep detailed features sharp after casting, plus any extra design rounds spent adjusting proportions. Simpler, flatter pendant designs in the same metal cost less, while upgrading to gold or adding gemstones would push the price higher.

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

The full process from deposit to delivery generally runs around six to eight weeks when there are several rounds of design revision, as there were with this piece. The design phase covers the 3D model and any adjustments the client requests, and production typically takes about four weeks once the final design is approved. Pieces with more revision rounds during the design phase take longer overall, though production time itself stays fairly consistent once the model is locked in.

Can the engraving be changed or corrected if there's a mistake?

Yes, text engravings can be corrected during the design and production process before the piece is cast. In this case a misspelling was caught during the render review stage and fixed before the pendant moved into production. It's worth double-checking any engraved text carefully when reviewing a 3D render or sketch, since catching it early avoids any delay once the piece is in production.

Can I request a thicker or smaller bail ring on a pendant?

Yes, bail dimensions can be adjusted to fit a specific chain or personal preference. On this piece the bail was changed from its original size to a 6mm outer diameter and 4mm inner diameter, with a 2mm wall thickness, after a few rounds of back-and-forth to get the proportion right. Changing the bail size is a straightforward adjustment to make during the 3D design phase, before casting begins.

Is sterling silver a good choice for a pendant with raised, detailed features?

Sterling silver works well for dimensional, sculptural pendants because it casts cleanly and holds fine detail, including facial features and tapered shapes. It's softer than platinum but harder than fine silver, giving it enough durability for a pendant of this size and detail level while still being workable for intricate casting. For a piece with this much surface detail, silver also polishes to a bright finish that helps the raised features catch the light.