How can I get someone to make me a custom religious-medal type pendant?

September 19, 2018 11:27 PM

I have something I want to make into a necklace. The design would be sort of like a two-sided coin or a religious medal, probably cast in silver, and would have simple, specific iconography on each side. I would be willing to spend a fair amount of money on it. Where could I get such a thing done?

In the days of yore Etsy had a place where you could ask questions like this and craftspeople would volunteer to do the job, but now I don't know where to go with my project.

posted by hungrytiger to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (7 answers total)

He's not currently accepting orders (although it looks like he will be again at some point), but I was just introduced to the work of Aidan Wachter, who might be what you're looking for.
posted by WidgetAlley at 11:34 PM on September 19, 2018 [1 favorite]

Sounds like a job for a jewelry maker who does investment casting. You’ll need someone capable of carving the icons/images, text, etc. so look at candidates’ previous work for things that are technically similar.
posted by jon1270 at 2:24 AM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Sculptor who has cast small metals here. You might try a university art department near you. Mine has a class that does jewelry casting, with some very talented students. If you'd rather have a professional do it, most art professors at such schools are also working artists. Whoever is in charge of jewelry at your local school should be able to cast your silver medal for you.
posted by all the light we cannot see at 2:47 AM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

Have you thought about the coin stamping people that are at the Renaissance Faires? Here's a link - not sure if that is the kind of thing you would want or not.
posted by needlegrrl at 4:47 AM on September 20, 2018

People on several jewelry forums really seem to like David Klass - he makes custom stuff including a prior mold for you to approve. I contacted him a necklace once that I wanted modeled after something from a TV show.
posted by LoonyLovegood at 6:12 AM on September 20, 2018

Look for one of the many businesses making "custom challenge coins" or "military challenge coins". They will put anything you want on both sides of the coin, and most will add the necklace attachment thing-- if not a jeweler could do it for you. Since there is an existing market for this and they have all the tech and processes in place, using a coin maker will probably be a lot cheaper than using a custom jeweler. Here is an example vendor, although I have not personally used them. Fortunately the challenge coin part of my life is over, so I can't give you a current recommendation, but there are literally dozens of companies that will do this for you.
posted by seasparrow at 8:02 AM on September 20, 2018 [1 favorite]

The word ‘medallion’ might help in your search.
posted by MountainDaisy at 11:53 AM on September 20, 2018