How Much Does a Custom Pendant Cost?

A custom pendant is not a celebration afforded only by the extremely rich. Anyone can wear one, entrepreneur or rapper. A one-of-one piece of jewelry, custom pendants give you more than a generic mass produced silver necklace to mark your successes. It is personal, sentimental, even motivating. And in this article, you will discover why some custom pendants you find go for as low as $200 while the most prestigious go for $10 000 and up. Because it is not only the metal that is used that gives a pendant its price tag. It's much more..

What Is a Custom Pendant?

A common mistake is that people think that a regular pendant, which has their name engraved on it, is a custom pendant. But that is not true. In truth, a custom pendant is a one-of-one. It is a unique pendant that is designed and crafted based on your liking and choice with a jeweler. No one else has that same pendant that you will be wearing, unless you choose to buy two. And that is very likely…

A selection of “premium pendants” designs, which you can modify, are also not custom. That is a jeweler trying to use your good intentions to make a quick profit. A true custom pendant is made only after placing an order. Then the process of designing and creating the pendant will begin.

Cost of a Custom Pendant

What you end up paying for a custom pendant depends on many factors. So there is no one price that fits all. And while the price range is wide, anywhere from $200 to $10 000, you can be sure that spending less than $200 typically means getting a worse quality custom pendant. Bad materials and poor build quality make the experience of wearing a cheap pendant a bad experience that you should try to avoid.

Entry level quality pendants, which are made from brass and zirconia, are priced between $200 - $1500 when you decide to go custom. The next tier up, silver moissanite custom pendants, are priced between $1500 to $3500. This is usually the sweet spot for many people looking to get a custom pendant as you get both quality and durability. You will see why later...

But if you are a person who likes to lavish, the most expensive custom pendants start at $3500 and go up to $10 000+. Generally, these custom pieces use natural diamonds and other rare metals like solid gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum etc… 

But like I mentioned, many things factor in the final cost of custom jewelry, not just the metal alloy used. Below are the 3 main factors why your custom pendant might cost as much as a sports car or even as low as a concert ticket.

What Determines the Price of a Custom Pendant

Materials

Materials make up most of the cost of your customized pendant. Using luxurious rare metals such as platinum, diamond or gold, you get a pendant that is more expensive. That is because of the rarity of the metal. 

But even if you decide to go with materials like silver, cubic zirconia or other inexpensive metals, you still get good value for your money. They offer great durability without the heavy price tag.

Fun fact: most people shopping for custom pendants decide to go with silver as its base material, and then add moissanite diamonds on it.

Complexity of the Design

The second factor behind the total price of your custom pendant is the design. And depending on the design, the price of your custom pendant will either be high or low.

That is because you are designing your own pendant, which the jeweler will make from scratch and probably never again. So things like the level of detail, the shape, the length all contribute to the final price. And the more complex your custom pendant design is, the longer, more complicated and costly it is to make it.

Reputation of the Jeweler

Just like you pay a premium for iPhones, you pay a premium for the jeweler who creates your custom pendant. Well known jewelers ask for more than double or even triple the price compared to a not so famous jeweler. 

But this does not always mean better quality or results. Smaller independent jewelers have as good or even better execution on custom pendants. And they offer great benefits that you should consider, such as small waiting lists, better customer service and great prices.

Custom Pendants from IceCartel

If you are looking for a smaller independent jeweler to make a custom pendant for you, look towards Ice Cartel as your choice. With its determination in creating a custom pendant that you can actually wear, Ice Cartel brings your ideas into life. 

And it is not like you can only customize the letters you want to have on your jewelry–Ice Cartel sits down and discusses the smallest of details that are important to you. They use popular metals like silver and gold alloys in their pendants. And adding onto it, Ice Cartel uses VVS moissanite diamonds for any diamonds you might want to use in your custom pendant.

If you are looking to see how Ice Cartel can be of service to you when making your own pendant, get your free quote for your custom pendant from Ice Cartel by clicking here.

Conclusion

Let's go over the key lessons that decide on how much does a custom chain cost:

1. The metal being used has the most impact on the price of your pendant, starting from $200 all the way up to $10 000+. And the more expensive doesn't mean it is necessarily better.
2. The design that you want your special pendant to be also determines the overall price tag of your customized pendant. More detailed designs are more expensive to create.
3. The reputation of your jeweler has an impact on the total amount you end up paying. You have many routes to take, but choosing an online small independent jeweler like Ice Cartel is a great place to start.

Remember, it is up to you to educate yourself on the topic before buying your first custom pendant. Refer to other related blog articles for more knowledge.