Building a family, designing a family heirloom

There are few moments in life as memorable as a first child being born. The entire universe seems to shift in a split second. When Will came to us wanting to honor his pregnant girlfriend and the near arrival of their firstborn, we knew this was a special project.

Will brought his idea to us with a lot of enthusiasm, having been raised to believe that gifts you make yourself are far more valuable than anything bought off the shelf. We feel you, Will! He had already designed a rough sketch for a gold pendant for his partner that would incorporate his baby girl’s initials into a sweet butterfly design.

Rough Sketch by Will

3D CAD Model Created by JewelryThis

Photorealistic Render by JewelryThis

Will and his JewelryThis consultant worked closely together, sharing photos and stories in order to fine tune the pendant design. To add to the drama, Will’s girlfriend went into labor as the design was finalized! It was decided that the pendant would be created from 14K gold, and because the baby was due in December, Will added sparkling blue topaz birthstone accents. The final design was now ready for 3D printing in resin to make sure it was exactly what Will had imagined, then the pendant itself was created using the wax casting method. After cleaning, polishing, and finishing, we sent it off just in time for Christmas, a note attached with our best wishes to the happy family.

The Results

The result? The stunning and sentimental pendants you see below…

9ct yellow gold family pendant with gemstones

“Carrie worked with me every step of the way, even when my engineering brain was hung up on small details. The team at jewelry are basically hybrid artist/design engineers and I love that.

This pendant is special to me because of the amount of involvement I had in the process, and knowing this piece is one of a kind. It also makes me feel like a badass boyfriend seeing how much my partner adores the pendant *pats self on back.* For me it represents a moment in my life I will cherish forever. Seeing the pendant takes me back to those excited feelings I had waiting to meet my daughter. “

– Will-

Thank you, Will, for bringing us into your family for this project! It was an honor to work with you and to create the beautiful pendant that will no doubt be adored, worn with love and treated as a family heirloom.

~JewelryThis~