3D Custom Pet Portrait Pendant: Why We Don't Do Laser Engraving
Why We Use Lost-Wax Casting for Our Pet Portrait Pendants
Many personalized pet pendants use laser engraving or laser cutting. These methods work well for creating simple images or silhouettes, but they usually produce a flat design on the surface of the metal.
At POMTIQUE, we wanted something different.
Our pet portrait pendants are made using the traditional lost-wax casting process. This allows us to create a three-dimensional design with real depth and shape, giving each pendant a more distinctive and tactile finish.
How Your Pet Pendant Is Made
Step 1: Pet Portrait Design
We start with your pet's photos. Our designers study the features that make your pet recognizable, including the shape of the face, ears, eyes, nose, and overall expression.
The goal is not simply to copy a photo, but to create a clean portrait design that works as a piece of jewelry.
Step 2: 3D Modeling
The approved design is developed into a three-dimensional model.
We carefully build the main contours and details of the portrait so the finished pendant has depth rather than a flat surface.
Step 3: Wax Prototype
The 3D model is turned into a wax prototype.
This wax model allows us to check the shape, proportions, and details before casting. It becomes the pattern used to create the final metal pendant.
Step 4: Lost-Wax Casting
The wax model is placed inside a heat-resistant investment mold. The mold is heated until the wax melts away, leaving a cavity in the shape of the pendant.
Molten metal is then poured into the mold. Once cooled, the metal casting is removed and prepared for finishing.
This is the traditional lost-wax casting process that gives the pendant its three-dimensional form.
Step 5: Hand Finishing
After casting, each pendant is carefully cleaned and finished by hand.
Our craftspeople file, sand, and polish the piece to refine the surface and remove casting marks. Depending on the selected finish, the pendant may then receive an additional plating treatment.
The result is a handcrafted piece made specifically from your pet's portrait.
Why This Process Matters
The difference is in the way the portrait becomes part of the jewelry.
Laser engraving creates an image on the surface of a piece of metal. Lost-wax casting allows us to build the portrait into the form of the pendant itself.
That extra dimension gives the piece more depth, texture, and presence.
Every pendant starts with a customer's photo and goes through design, modeling, casting, and hand finishing before it reaches you. No two pets are exactly alike, so every portrait we create is different too.
Your Pet, Made Into a Keepsake
A favorite photo captures a moment. A custom pendant gives that memory a form you can keep and wear.
At POMTIQUE, we use lost-wax casting because it gives us the flexibility to turn your pet's individual features into a three-dimensional piece of jewelry.
Ready to create yours?
Shop our Custom Dog Portrait Pendant or Custom Cat Portrait Pendant and see your design before production begins.
Want to understand the full process? Read our complete guide:
Custom Pet Portrait Jewelry — The Complete Guide →