Hecate was the goddess of the moon, magic, the night, witchcraft, ghosts and necromancy. She aided Demeter with the search for her daughter by lighting torches and when they were reunited, she became Persephone’s Minister and companion in Hades. The Hecate Pendant was one of my friends favorite pieces because of the immense detail that is featured on the pendant. The pendant has a stainless steel base with an 18k gold pvd coating and can be worn with two different chains. 

INSPIRATION

The Pendant’s overall imagery was inspired by her statue where she is portrayed in three different forms, representing the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone (separate stages of a female lifecycle). The three stages also represent the moon phases: full moon, half moon, and new moon. I wanted a design that would represent Hecate’s connection to the moon, the symbolism of the three stages of womanhood, and how she aided Demeter in the search for her daughter. 

SKETCH 

When we usually do sketches for such detailed pendants, we need the front, back and sides with accurate measurements. The sketch would be used to make the 3D mold where can then pour in the sample piece. 

3D MOLD 

The 3D mold is made so that we can have an understanding of the size and the details of the pendant. This pendant had a lot of fine details and was one of our larger pendants. 

STAINLESS STEEL BASE 

The stainless steel base is the main material we use since it is more accessible and cheaper, which keeps our prices affordable. This is made by pouring the stainless steel into molds and then we file away extra metal that was left. The filing also helps define the details such as the dresses, the torch, the crown and more. The next step is to polish the stainless steel base so we can fix any mistakes before moving on to the gold plating. 

GOLD PLATING 

I use 18k gold to coat my jewelry and give it a vibrant color that stands out and is less likely to tarnish. We use a coating system called PVD (physical vapor deposition), which is when we take the stainless steel base and vapourize a thin coating of gold. I use this method because I find jewelry to last longer and be more resistant. If you want to learn more about PVD coating, check out this article: 

https://alcadyne.com/what-is-pvd-coating-how-it-works/  

COMPLETE PRODUCT 

When the plating is finished, we do a final polish of pendants and attach the chain!