Why Ours Are Better...

When we decided to offer our own line of Pendants & Pins (Thor's Hammers, Viking designs, etc.), we had some very definite ideas:

1. We would actually hand-make each piece ourselves, in our small shop—no mass-production. 2. Although hand-made by us, one-at-a-time, we would keep the prices reasonable. 3. The designs would be based on historical knowledge & research.

Hand-made By Us...

Each piece that we offer begins its life with us:

1. After deciding on a specific design, an “original” is either carved in wood, or crafted out of clay. 2. A delicate mold, with a limited lifespan, is then made from the original. 3. Metal is heated and a test cast is then poured until a satisfactory casting is achieved. 4. The test casting is filed, ground, polished, and worked extensively by hand with various tools. 5. The finished pendant (or pin) is then presented to family and friends for appraisal. 6. If the general consensus is good, the item is added to our Catalog. 7. Several castings are then poured and finished (one at a time) using the delicate mold, to create our original “in-stock” supply. ... etc. 8. Once the original “in-stock” supply has been sold, and our craftsman is completely familiar with the design's peculiarities and requirements, the Hammer is then crafted only when ordered by a customer. This makes for a truly unique and personal Thor's Hammer Pendant, hand-made for the individual. 9. This process continues until eventually the mold disintegrates (caused by exposure to the high temperatures of molten metal). 10. At that point we are forced to decide whether to produce another mold from the original (a somewhat expensive and time consuming process) or to retire the design. Some pieces will be produced again, while others will be retired from the Catalog. So in one sense, all pieces that we offer are Limited Editions—eventually.