Behind the Scenes: Custom Figurative Inlay Pendant
Love inlay jewelry, but want to tailor it to better express your spirit instead of feeling like you’re wearing something that doesn’t even feel like you?
Let’s work together! I can make any design, shape, or figure using my distinct inlay style backed by your unique vision. I know it can be a little intimidating to get started since you want to make sure you’ll absolutely love what I make for you.
Which is why I want to show you some behind-the-scenes from a recent commission, where I worked closely with my client to make her dream project into a beautiful reality.
Project Specs:
Mathilda was looking to make a special birthday gift for her sister Rose, who is a dancer and yogi. She wanted a figurative inlay pendant that would reflect her sister’s unique yoga dance style, but didn’t have a specific pose in mind (it was one of those “when I see it, I’ll know!” kind of situation, and I think we can all relate to that!).
With that in mind, I watched many videos of her sister’s yoga flow and poured over pictures from her social media of different poses to get inspiration from.
Once I had worked up a number of drawings, Mathilda and I worked together to figure out which one looked and felt the most like her sister that combined some of the things she desired like long noodley limbs (yes, noodley!).
Once I had the framework of her design finished, it was time to start thinking about what stones/stone colors to pick for each piece of the puzzle. While you might have an idea of some favorite stones you want to include in your custom inlay, Mathilda didn’t know where to start… and that’s fine too!
This is how my sterling silver inlays look before the stones are added in, with empty little pockets waiting to be filled with gemmy goodness!
To inspire her, I sent her a short video of my stone collection, and she took screenshots of what colors and patterns stood out to her.
From there I pulled together some color palette ideas to start picking out what stone should be the skin tone or outfit.
But because it is really hard to get a mental picture of what colors will look good together, I used Photoshop to insert clips of the stone from pictures to get a general idea of how the inlay will look with those colors selected.
We worked closely through a few different color palette drafts until she came up with this final selection that she fell in love with.
Mathilda ended up choosing hyacinth jasper for her skin, Idaho moss agate for her leggings, a flashy blue labradorite for her top, Australian pink opal for the gap between her arm and leg, and a little arm band of vibrant variscite.
From there, I finished up cutting the stones—all while keeping Mathilda updated with pictures during the stone-cutting process all the way through the finishing touches.
Mathilda loved how her vision of her sister came out, and Rose was moved by her memorable 30th birthday gift that expressed her sister’s love.
For more details on commissions, read my FAQ.
If you’re looking to make a special gift for yourself, your spouse, or a loved one, then click the button below to send me a message. I work with all budget ranges, and would love to work with you to make something incredible together!