Pick the style first, because that is what people read on your chest. Crosses were a third of the pendants sold here in the year, and animals, skulls and Jesus pieces came next. Then the metal. Silver sold the most pieces, and 14K gold took most of the sales. Last comes the chain, and a pendant includes one only when its listing says so.
Styles: cross pendants, Jesus pieces, eagle claws and more
Start with what the piece should say. Crosses and crucifixes were a third of the pendants sold in the year, from a 14K mini diamond cross to a silver crucifix on its Franco chain. A crucifix carries the figure of Christ, and a plain cross does not.
Animals came second, led by the silver eagle claws. Skulls and guns came next, then Jesus pieces, the face of Christ under the crown of thorns. Medusa heads, UFOs and other designs came after them, then saints, angels, the hamsa and the Star of David.
For him or for her: men's and women's pendants by size
Most pendants here are made for men, and a man's piece runs larger. The men's pieces sold were near 48 mm tall in the middle, just under two inches. The women's were near 32 mm, about an inch and a quarter. Measure the listed length against your chest.
Of the pendants we list for women, about three sold in five were gold, and about half weighed under 5 grams. Two in three of the men's pieces sold were silver, and the middle silver piece weighed about 21 grams.
Gold or silver: 14K gold, 10K gold or .925 silver pendants
For daily wear, 14K is the gold to choose. Nearly nine pendants in ten here are gold, most of them 14K. Silver is fewer than one listing in ten, yet it sold more than half the pieces. Gold still brought in about three quarters of the sales. Of the gold sold, about two pieces in three were 14K and nearly all the rest 10K, which holds less gold and reads paler.
More than half the titles name diamonds, and nearly every listing says natural or lab-grown. Both are diamonds. Most diamond pendants here list natural stones.
The chain: pendant necklace sets, chain length and the bail
Unless the listing names a chain, the pendant ships alone. Pendant sets are fewer than one listing in ten, yet about a third of the pendants sold went out as a set, most of them silver. Most sets let you pick 18 to 24 inches.
Bought alone, a pendant needs a chain its bail will take. The bail, the loop at the top, must pass over your link, and over the clasp unless it hinges. For the chain a heavy piece needs, read the men's pendants guide.
Custom: custom pendants, photo pendants and names
Nearly a third of the titles here say custom, pieces the jewelers at the store on 47th Street have made. Send a drawing, a photo or the letters you want to the live chat and ask for the lead time. A photo pendant carries a picture you send, and 93 listings let you upload it.
A custom, engraved or photo piece cannot be returned, so settle the details first. Use the live chat, or call or text 212-872-9692 from 10 AM ET.