Pescadito Charm

$175.00

Fish-shaped and adorable, the Pescadito (“little fish”) Charm is fused from melted “waste” silver, otherwise headed for the refiner. A tiny 1mm blue sapphire sits as the eye.

I live right by the harbour, and it’s hard not think about the ocean while I work. Recycling my scrap silver into something you’ll love and wear every day feels especially important when I’m surrounded by so much natural beauty.

Organic, one-of-a-kind, and sold without a chain.

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Customizations

Build your own Classic

The Pescadito Charm is part of the Classics collection: timeless shapes, made the way I'd want to wear them myself. But part of the fun is that lots of people choose to make theirs one of a kind, working with me to add a stone, an engraving, or a finish that makes the piece unmistakably theirs. Book a free consult and we'll figure out what's possible together.

Your gold or mine

Use your own heirloom jewelry, or start fresh.

A gemstone customization

Swap out the sapphire eye with a birthstone, a diamond, or a gem that means something to you. Book a consult and yours could be the piece shown here.

A hand engraving

A hand engraved pattern will make this little guy sparkles in the sun. Did you know that hand engraving is on the Red List of Endangered Crafts, at risk of dying out in the next generation?

Pescadito Charm with a special finish

Choose a high polish, brushed finish, or hand-hammered finish

The Details You Need

The cutest little guy you ever did see

The Pescadito Charm ("little fish") starts as scrap: silver offcuts left over from other projects, melted down and fused rather than sent off to a refiner. That process gives each charm its uneven, organic shape, where no two come out quite the same. A single 1mm sapphire catches the light as its eye.

I work from my studio in Cape Breton, where I can see the harbour from my window. It's hard not to think about the ocean while shaping something fish-formed out of metal that would've gone to scrap. All precious metals are completely recyclable, but reusing them at home saves the environmental cost of shipping them to Halifax, and running the refining machines.

Small enough to layer, substantial enough to wear alone. Sold without a chain, so you can pair it with one you already have.

The Pescadito Charm is handmade in my Cape Breton studio. If you're reusing heirloom gold, subtle variations in tone may occur, part of what makes each piece uniquely yours.

Requires 2-6 grams of gold — or even more! It's a big spread, but I'll make the charm as big (or small!) as your provided gold allows.

Our Process

Melting heirloom jewelry into a new piece is a highly specialized goldsmithing process, and I'm happy to offer it out of my studio in Cape Breton, Canada.

Testing & weighing

First, I test your gold for purity and weigh it to make sure there's enough for your piece. Testing also confirms its karat, and your finished piece will be made to match. If more gold is needed, I'll let you know and bill you for the difference before moving forward. If you've provided more than I need, I can either credit you for the difference or return what's left over with your completed piece.

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Sentimental gold set aside versus gold ready to be refined

Sentimental, or refined and reused

The precious metals used in jewelry are inherently reusable — this is what makes recycled gold jewelry possible! When you send me your jewelry, I recycle it alongside the gold from other customers in the custom jewelry process, and its full value is credited against the cost of your new jewels. If your gold is very sentimental to you, I can typically melt and alloy your gold to use in your project. I typically reserve this very specialized offering for projects where the gold itself is extremely sentimental.

Gold melted into an ingot, being formed into sheet and wire

Melting, forming, making

From there, everything is melted into an ingot, then formed into sheet and wire: the raw materials your piece is actually made from. The alloy in your gold may slightly affect the final colour. Every piece is handmade in my Cape Breton studio, using traditional goldsmithing techniques.

Frequently Asked Questions

What kinds of gold can be sent in for custom jewelry?

You can send almost any 10k, 14k, 18k, 22k, or 24k gold. Plain bands, ingots, and pure coins work best, since they carry little to no solder, which can introduce impurities. Items with lots of solder may be refined instead of used directly, but their value is always applied to your new piece. If a piece is sentimental to you, let me know and I'll do everything I can to work with it directly.

Can you make this piece without heirloom gold?

Yes! I can provide the gold for this piece. Make sure you select "Hunt's Gold" from the drop-down menu when ordering.

Are customizations possible?

Most of The Classics can be customized with gemstones, diamonds, engravings, and small design adjustments. To design a brand new piece from the ground up, learn about my Custom (Re)Design process

How much does custom jewelry cost?

Pricing depends on what you're adding — a birthstone, an engraving, or a design tweak can each affect the price differently. Let me know what you have in mind and I'll give you an accurate quote before you order.

How long does it take to make a custom piece?

All my jewelry is handmade to order. Please allow 4-8 weeks from the time I receive your materials. Good things take time!

Still have a question? Book a free consult and ask me about your custom jewelry project directly.