Making Patera Jewelry

by Sue Arkwright
(Arkwright Designs)

I was introduced to Patera findings from a friend of mine who attended the huge jewelry and gem show in Arizona.

"Patera" means small shallow dish, and these findings are manufactured by a company called Nunn Design.

Patera findings are pendants made with copper, silver and antique gold finishes and come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are flat on one side and have a depression on the other:

Some of the Patera findings at Nunn Design.


What I do is print a picture on photo quality paper and insert them into the Patera finding.

I then embellish them with Swarovski crystals and fill up the finding with a DG-3 glaze:


Patera key chain by Sue Arkwright.


The fun thing about using these findings is that you can get very creative. It's like miniature scrapbooking!

You can put anything into the Patera then fill it up with glaze and let it cure... you then have a permanent memory you can wear.

One example of what you can do is take a photo of Hawaii, insert it into the Patera and glue in some shells and sand, then glaze it to permanently remember your beautiful trip.

You can also give your design a vintage or steampunk look by adding various metal findings, clock parts and vintage beads.

Some of the Patera findings have loops on the bottom where you can dangle beads and charms:


Vintage floral pendant by Sue Arkwright.


You can go to Nunn Design to request a catalog from Becky Nunn who is very helpful and will give you hints on how to get started.

I make Pateras with family photos, pets, coins, florals, vintage and a host of others.

There are sheets of cardstock that can be purchased from various websites, that are copyrighted but are very reasonably priced.

My favorite is AlphaStamps, where you can find all sorts of fun ideas!

They include pictures of Paris, old-world women, florals, hearts and much more:


One of the many collage sheets
at AlphaStamps.


There is no end to how creative you can get with Pateras and I hope you find this information useful and will get started with a fun new way to make beautiful jewelry!


"Friends" Patera photo jewelry by Sue Arkwright.


Sue Arkwright
Arkwright Designs
See more of my Patera jewelry designs