Pez Necklace in Sterling Silver

The Pez Necklace is a .925 sterling silver choker of ten cast fish, each set with its own natural stone, made by hand in our workshop in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico.

The fish comes from two places at once. It appears throughout pre-Hispanic iconography, carved and painted on these lands for centuries. And it comes from Caroline, who has spent her life near the sea. The piece sits where those two things meet.

Unlike the rest of what we make, the Pez is cast. Each link is poured in lost wax — a model is carved in wax, packed in investment, burned out, and molten silver takes its place. It's the oldest metalworking technique there is, and the only way to get the roundness these bodies have. The eye of each fish is soldered on separately, by hand.

Ten links, ten stones. Every one is selected and cut individually, which is why a single necklace takes as long as it does.

Choose your stone: jade, lapis lazuli, malachite or black onyx.

It sits at the collarbone as a choker. We also make it to measure.

Details

• Material: .925 sterling silver, hand-polished
• Construction: ten links cast individually in lost wax, joined with rings and tube, fish eyes hand-soldered
• Stones: one natural stone per link — jade, lapis lazuli, malachite or black onyx, cut by our lapidary in Mexico
• Length: 16 inches. Made to measure on request
• Weight: approx. 82 g
• Closure: hook clasp
• Made in: our workshop in Taxco, Guerrero, Mexico
• Made to order: 4–6 weeks from order to delivery
• Shipping: worldwide. US orders ship from Houston, Texas

Care

Silver is a living material and will develop a patina over time. Polish it with a silver cloth to bring back the shine, or leave it darker — we like it both ways. Keep the stones away from perfume and household cleaners, and take it off before swimming.

Questions

What is lost wax casting? The oldest way there is to make metal objects. A model is carved in wax, packed in a heat-resistant investment, then melted out — leaving a cavity that molten silver fills. The wax is destroyed in the process, which is where the name comes from. It's how you get volume and roundness that sheet metal can't give you. The Pez is the only piece we cast; everything else in our catalog is formed from sterling sheet by hand.

How many stones does it have? Ten, one per fish. Each one is selected and cut individually by our lapidary, so no two necklaces are alike — and it's the reason this piece takes the time it does.

Can I order a different length? Yes. It's a 16-inch choker as standard, and we make it to measure on request. Write to us before ordering.