What a leatherette pendant box is — and what it has to do
A pendant box centres a single pendant on a padded flap or hook so it hangs the way it will be worn. It presents the piece as the hero, which suits designer and one-of-a-kind work.
A leatherette pendant box normally combines a PU exterior with a soft lined hanging board, because a chain against a hard PU board slides — the board needs a nap to hold it.
How a leatherette pendant box is built inside
The lid carries a vertical hanging board covered in the lining material. A small hook or clip at the top holds the bail; the chain falls straight down against the board and the tail is tucked into two slits near the bottom. The base of the box is a plain pad, sometimes with a shallow recess so the pendant does not knock the shell when the box is closed.
Fit. The hook is sized to the bail — a 3 mm bail needs a smaller, finer hook than a 6 mm enhancer bail — and the chain slits sit close enough together that the two chain runs hang parallel, not splayed.
In leatherette. A PU-covered insert has almost no give, so it is cut to the finished dimension and the covering is turned under and glued flat on the reverse; any excess thickness at a fold shows as a bump under the piece. Where a PU exterior meets a soft lined interior, the join sits inside the lid rim so the customer sees a clean edge.
Formats we make: hanging-board pendant box · flat-pad pendant box · locket box with a deeper recess · pendant-and-chain combination.
Why leatherette (pu) for pendant boxes
Leatherette — a fine PU with a leather-like grain — is the modern jeweller's workhorse: clean, hard-wearing and consistent from box to box. It takes a hot-stamped logo crisply and resists everyday marks.
PU is wrapped and turned over the shell edge, so the corner fold is the quality tell: we mitre and tuck corners rather than bunch them, and use a thinner PU on tight radii so the grain does not stretch and go pale. Grain, gloss level and hand-feel are all specified — a soft-touch matte PU and a saffiano-grain PU behave very differently under a hot-stamp.
PU is colour-stable and matches to Pantone references closely, which makes it the safe choice when several boxes in a range must match across production runs.
It suits branded retail ranges, e-commerce brands shipping many orders, and anyone who needs a crisp foil logo.
Specification at a glance
| Piece held | Pendant |
|---|---|
| Insert | A lid-mounted hanging board with a bail hook and chain slits |
| Fit detail | The hook is sized to the bail — a 3 mm bail needs a smaller, finer hook than a 6 mm enhancer bail — and the chain slits sit close enough together that the two chain runs hang parallel, not splayed. |
| Typical external size | Typically 70–90 mm square and 30–45 mm deep; larger statement pendants move to a 100 mm body or to a long necklace box. |
| Formats | hanging-board pendant box · flat-pad pendant box · locket box with a deeper recess · pendant-and-chain combination |
| Exterior | Leatherette (PU) — black, white, tan, camel, burgundy, navy, blush, deep purple |
| Hand feel | Crisp, firm, consistent — reads as a considered retail brand |
| Insert construction | Pu-wrapped pads with a soft lined slot |
| Interior lining | Velvet, microfibre suede or satin, in a matching or contrast colour |
| Logo | Leatherette is the best surface for a hot-stamped logo in gold, silver, rose gold or a blind (colourless) deboss. Foil sits cleanly in the grain and holds its edge over years of handling. |
| Closure | Hinged lid with a snap or magnetic catch; ribbon or clasp on travel formats |
| Shell route | Ready tooling library (no mould charge) where a standard size fits; fully custom dimensions on a wooden shell where it does not |
| Sample | A physical pre-production sample is made and approved before any bulk run |
| Quantity & lead time | Quoted per project — structure, materials and any tooling decide both; tell us the quantity you have in mind |
Two ways to get the size you need
Every box starts with the piece, and the piece decides the shell route:
- Ready tooling library. We hold a range of existing moulded shells in the common jewellery-box sizes. Where one of these fits your piece, there is no mould charge and the box is faster to produce — you choose the finish, lining and logo on a proven shell.
- Fully custom dimensions. Where no standard shell suits — an unusual pendant, a signature proportion, a matching family of sizes — we build the box on a wooden shell cut to your dimensions and finished in lacquer or wrapped in your chosen material.
We will tell you which route fits your brief before quoting, so there are no surprises on tooling or timing.
What we check on every leatherette pendant box
Before a sample is sent, and again on every bulk run, each leatherette pendant box is checked against the same points — the insert is PU-wrapped pads with a soft lined slot, so the fit checks below are read against that construction:
- pendant hangs centred and faces forward when the lid opens
- chain runs hang parallel down the board
- bail hook is hidden behind the pendant, not visible above it
- board is firmly fixed to the lid and does not flex
- the grain runs continuously across lid and base with mitred corners
- lid and base outlines match exactly when closed — same footprint, same corner radius
- insert fills the cavity with no gap to the wall; walls are an even thickness
- leatherette panels have continuous grain or nap with straight, even seams
The most common faults we see in pendant boxes bought elsewhere are a hook too large for a fine bail, chain slits set too far apart, and a board that sits at an angle so the pendant swings. Each of those is a specification decision, and we make it with you before the sample.
Made to your brand
Your size, your lining, your colour, your logo. Leatherette is the best surface for a hot-stamped logo in gold, silver, rose gold or a blind (colourless) deboss. Foil sits cleanly in the grain and holds its edge over years of handling. PU wipes clean and does not fade in a lit window display, so it suits stock that sits on a shop shelf.
You approve a physical sample before bulk, and the bulk order is held to the sample you approved — the same leatherette, the same insert, the same logo position.
How ordering works
Send us the pendant dimensions (or the piece itself), the quantity you have in mind, your logo artwork and any colour references. We confirm the shell route and the insert, quote one clear all-in price, and make a pre-production sample for you to approve. Production follows the approved sample. Quantities and lead times are agreed per project rather than fixed, because structure, materials and any tooling decide both.
Why Chung Ngai
Chung Ngai is a manufacturer and supplier of jewellery and watch packaging, Hong Kong owned and managed since 1971. We build and check boxes by hand, quote one transparent price, and hold every bulk run to the approved sample. For leatherette pendant boxes made to your brand, that consistency is what keeps jewellers re-ordering.