- Bronze, Sterling silver
- 1″ x 1″
- Photographed by artist; Inspiration photo by Meeples
- NFS
Not every couple wants a traditional wedding ring. For one recent wedding, the bride and groom came to me with a wonderfully unconventional idea: instead of rings, they wanted to exchange something they could wear every day that felt personal, playful, and meaningful to them.
They both love games and game pieces, and they had a particular reference in mind—a little hiker meeple. From that starting point, we began imagining what that idea could become as a piece of handmade jewelry.
The result was a matching pair of hiker pendants: one cast in bronze and one in silver. Two figures that belong together, but aren’t quite identical—a small representation of two people setting out on the same adventure.
From Game Piece to Jewelry
The first step was translating the simple, graphic quality of a game piece into something that would work as jewelry.
A meeple has a wonderful visual simplicity. Its shape is instantly recognizable, but reducing it to a wearable pendant meant thinking carefully about proportions, thickness, edges, and how the figure would hang from a chain.
Because these were intended to be exchanged as wedding keepsakes, I wanted them to feel substantial enough to be lasting pieces while still retaining the charm and simplicity of the original inspiration.
And, importantly, they needed to be handmade from beginning to end.
Giving Each Metal Its Own Character
Once the forms were created, I wanted the bronze and silver hikers to have their own individual personalities while still clearly belonging to the same set.
The bronze pendant was etched using salt water, creating a textured, weathered surface that emphasizes the warm character of the metal. The silver pendant was treated with silver nitrate to create a contrasting surface treatment and bring out the details of the piece.
Neither finish is simply a matter of applying a color or coating. The surface develops through the interaction between the metal and the materials used to treat it, making each piece part of the process rather than simply a finished object.
That felt especially appropriate for these pendants. They were designed to represent two people sharing an adventure, and each piece has its own slightly different path to the finished surface.
Cut, Refined, and Polished by Hand
After the forms and surface treatments came the long process of turning them into finished jewelry.
Each pendant was cut, shaped, and refined by hand. Edges were cleaned up, surfaces were polished, and details were carefully worked until the pieces felt finished without losing the handmade character that makes them unique.
Even the bail area—the part that connects the pendant to its chain—received its own attention. I added rivets to secure the bail, giving the connection both a functional purpose and a visual detail that fits with the slightly mechanical, game-piece-inspired aesthetic.
There is something satisfying about those little details. They aren’t necessarily the first things you notice when looking at the finished pendants, but they are part of what makes a handmade piece feel considered.
Two Pendants, One Story
What I love most about this project is that the finished pieces aren’t trying to imitate traditional wedding bands. Instead, they represent something specific to this couple: their shared interests, their sense of play, and the idea of setting out together on a new adventure.
The hiker shape makes that symbolism particularly fitting. A journey is rarely about reaching a single destination. It’s about the people you travel with, the unexpected turns, the difficult climbs, and the things you discover along the way.
These two little hikers are headed into that journey together. And while they started with the simple idea of a game piece, they ended up becoming something much more personal: handmade wedding jewelry designed specifically for two people who wanted to celebrate their commitment in their own way.
I couldn’t have asked for a more fun last-minute wedding project. Sometimes the most meaningful jewelry starts with a traditional idea—and then takes a completely different path.