Pendant weight... it is too heavy?

I have a pendant I have cast in ss. It is around 2.5 x 1.5 inches in
size. The wax model was 1.7 mm thick for the most part. I wasn’t sure
how thin it could be and still cast, given its size (I wonder if I
could go thinner). Anyway it weighs around .85 ounces, probably a bit
more after I set the stone and add the bale. My question is whether
it is too heavy… I could try to thin the back of the piece some to
lower the weight but it would be a pain, and probably made the back
look messy. It feels a b it heavy to me when I hold it, but just not
sure what is “ok” for a commercial piece.

Any opinions welcome!

I think weight of jewelry is personal - I have several pieces that
are by most standards fairly heavy (one pendant weighs a full ounce).
But when I wear it, the weight seems to get distributed and it’s
quite comfortable.

There are people who can’t stand anything heavy to wear, so it’s
really a personal matter. For me, earrings have to be light - I wore
very heavy ones for years and the result was that I had to have my
ear lobes re-pierced as the original "holes’ got stretched from the
weight of the earrings and ultimately tore through.

But I have friends who still wear very heavy earrings - again, a
comfort factor - just as some people are horribly bothered by heat,
others by cold. The test is simply to wear it for a extended time
and see if it becomes burdensome.

I suppose there is some magical formula for size and weight but the
Fulani earrings we have been reading about are an excellent example -
personal comfort.

K

It depends on the customer. It might be too heavy to keep in
inventory meaning you’ll probably have to sit on it for a while until
you find the right customer to sell it to depending on your
clientele. Look at the weight of a Squash Blossom. They sell if you
are in the right market.

I did a big bead show in April where a lady bought a polished slab 3"
x 4" and I set it for her in a prong setting of my own design. She
was thrilled with it and toddled off in search of beads to string
for a necklace for it. I mentioned to her that I wouldn’t recommend
swimming while wearing it… :slight_smile:

Rick Copeland
Silversmith and Lapidary Artisan
rockymountainwonders.com