The Back of the Pendant Is My Favorite Side

Flip over almost any pendant in a department store. You’ll find a flat, blank, stamped back. Maybe a logo. Maybe a sticker.

Flip over one of mine and you’ll find something else entirely: hammered texture, sawn cut-out patterns, and sometimes a small accent stone tucked on the back, just for you.

Every pendant I make now is decorated on both sides. Some people think that’s a waste of time. Nobody sees the back, right?

I disagree. Loudly.

Why the back matters

Pendants flip. You lean over, you hug someone, you take off your coat, and it turns. Everyone has worn a necklace that spends half the day showing its ugly side. Mine don’t have one.

You see it. When you take it off at night, when you put it on in the morning, when you hold it while you’re thinking. The person who sees the back the most is you.

It’s honest work. The back of a piece tells you everything about the person who made it. Sloppy solder, file marks and rough edges hide back there. If the back is beautiful, you can trust the front.

The old idea behind it

There’s an old craft value, shared by furniture makers, bookbinders and seamstresses: finish the parts nobody sees as carefully as the parts everyone sees. The inside of the drawer. The lining of the coat. The back of the pendant.

I didn’t learn that in a classroom. I learned it the first time I flipped over a piece I was proud of and felt a little embarrassed. That was the last plain back I made.

What this means for you

• Two looks in one necklace. Some of my pendants can be worn either way, depending on your mood or outfit.
• A private detail. Some people like that the best part is just for them.
• A better gift. Something to discover after the box is open.

Is it worth the extra time?

It adds real time to every piece. Planning, cutting, texturing, soldering, finishing a whole second side. It’s a big part of why I can’t make jewelry fast, and why every pendant is a one of a kind sterling silver pendant necklace rather than one of a batch.

But it’s also the detail I’m proudest of. It’s the thing that makes a piece feel like it was made by a person, for a person.

Next time you shop for a handmade pendant necklace, ask to see the back. You’ll learn a lot.

Or just flip one of mine. Browse my pendant necklaces.

Be honest: have you ever turned a necklace around to see the back?