The Imprint - Bespoke Handprint Pendant
Pressed in clay. Cast in gold. Kept forever.
Free global shipping
100% recycled solid gold
Handcrafted in New York
What survives of the Roman world is often what was pressed into it. Roof tiles were laid out in the open to dry, and the world crossed them while the clay was still soft — children's palms, dogs' paws, the sole of a small shoe, caught in an unguarded moment and fired into permanence. The buildings fell. The prints are still being found, two thousand years later, in the rubble of villas and forts across the old empire: the record of an afternoon that outlasted everything built around it.
The Imprint Pendant makes that accident deliberate. Your child's hand is pressed into clay, and the impression is cast in recycled solid gold within Common Era's wax seal form — a true relief, holding the full depth and contour of the hand at one exact moment of its life. The rise and fall of the palm. The press of each small finger. A moment that will never recur, made permanent in the oldest way we know.
The pendant is pictured here with a 1.8mm solid gold wheat chain, which can be purchased separately.
Object Notes
The pendant is cast from a three-dimensional clay impression of your child's actual hand.
Most handprint jewelry is laser-engraved on a blank template from a flat scan; this piece carries real dimension, the way a wax seal carries the shape of the matrix pressed into it. The gold holds what the clay held.
Each pendant is one of one. The mold is made from your impression and used once.
The Process
1. We send you an impression kit: archival clay and instructions. The pressing takes a minute — most parents do it during a nap.
2. Return the impression to us. We will craft it into a casting mold, preserving every contour of the original press.
3. We work with you on the reverse engraving - font, name, and anything else you'd like captured in time.
4. The pendant is designed and cast in recycled solid gold in New York.
Add a solid gold chain:
FAQ
How is the Imprint Pendant different from other handprint or fingerprint jewelry?
Most handprint and fingerprint jewelry is laser-engraved on a blank template from a flat 2D photograph or scan.
The Imprint Pendant is cast from a three-dimensional clay impression of the hand itself, so the finished gold carries real depth — the rise of the palm, the press of each finger — the way a wax seal carries the shape of what was pressed into it.
How do we take the impression?
We send a kit with archival clay and instructions. The pressing takes about a minute. You return the impression to us, and we build the casting mold directly from it.
How long does the process take?
We will ship your clay impression kit within 3 business days. Once you return it to us, assumed 6 - 8 weeks until it ships. These commissions require meticulous attention to detail and therefore take longer than our other pieces.
Can I choose different font or style for the reverse?
Yes! We can use any font you like, and engrave names, dates and anything else you'd like. We will work with you on this after purchase.
Can you make paw prints?
Yes. Dogs left their prints in Roman tiles too; some of those tiles were used anyway and survive in museum collections. We take paw commissions as gladly as hand commissions.
