How a Sterling Silver Baby Rattle Is Made — And Why I Started Making Them
It started with a daydream.
In the hazy early days after my daughter was born, I found myself in the shower imagining a puffy little serif g — soft and smooth on her gums, with safe little bits she could gnaw on as her teeth grew in. I'd always wanted to make her something she could use right away. Not jewelry that needed to be kept in a box and brought out for special occasions, but a true heirloom — something that meant something, that she could hold in her hands from the very beginning.
That daydream became the first MFM rattle. And it changed what I thought this studio could make.
★ Included in the Garden & Gun Holiday Gift Guide, 2023
The Making of a Sterling Silver Rattle
Every rattle begins in wax.
I carve each one by hand — slowly, deliberately — shaping the form from a block of carving wax before it ever becomes metal. It takes a few hours per rattle, and it's one of the most meditative parts of my work. As I carve, I find myself daydreaming about the child who will one day sink their teeth into this little thing. Who they'll become. What their mother felt when she ordered it. It's an honor to spend that time, and I don't take it lightly.
Once the carving is complete, the wax goes to casting. Through a process called lost-wax casting, the wax is replaced entirely by solid sterling silver — leaving behind a perfect metal impression of what I carved by hand. For the letter rattles, I slice the wax in half, hollow it out, fill the mold with tiny steel balls, and solder the sides back together before casting. What emerges makes the sweetest, gentlest little ping. It will become the soundtrack to your early motherhood, as it has for mine
Each rattle is then finished by hand in our Atlanta studio — smoothed, polished, and engraved if requested — before being packaged and shipped to you.
No molds. No manufacturing. Every single one, made from scratch.
The Three Designs — And the Stories Behind Them
The Bubble Letter Rattle - shop here
This was the first. Named for my daughter, designed for her specifically, and now made for families all over the country. Each letter is hand-carved, hollowed, and cast in solid sterling silver. Available in any letter of the alphabet, it's the most personal thing I make — a first initial, a middle name, a letter that means something only your family would understand. Engravable on the back with a name, date, or short phrase.
The Moon Rattle - shop here
When my first baby was tiny, she was gifted Guess How Much I Love You. The ending phrase — I love you right up to the moon and back — became a kind of mantra in her early childhood. Simple and enormous at the same time. The moon rattle is a nod to that phrase, and a quiet reminder to reach for the moon, little one. It also happens to be the song I walked down the aisle to at my wedding. Some objects carry more than one story. This one does.
The Scallop Rattle - shop here
The scallop has always been part of MFM. It's feminine and playful without being juvenile — a motif with history, with weight, with a little bit of wit. The scallop rattle is for the family with taste. For the mother who appreciates craft and doesn't need to explain why. It's the one I'd make for myself.
Made to Be Engraved. Made to Be Kept.
Every rattle can be engraved — a name, a birthdate, a short phrase on the back. That single detail transforms a beautiful object into an heirloom. Something that gets tucked into a memory box, pulled out years later, and handed down.
They begin as baby gifts. They don't end there.
How to Order
All three designs are available now in our Modern Heirlooms collection. Each is made to order and ships within four weeks. Engraving is available at checkout.
If you have a custom request — a different size, a specific letter not listed, a question about gifting — reach out at studio@maryfrancesmaker.com. We're happy to help.
Hand-carved in Atlanta. Made intentionally. Worn — and heard — forever.
Written by Mary Frances Maker
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