Your best friend is the hardest person to buy for. You know them too well. You know they don't need another mug, that the candle will sit in a drawer, and that anything with "bestie" printed on it will make them laugh for the wrong reasons.

What they don't have is the two of you, in clay, on their shelf. Our studio sculpts each figurine by hand from your photos and paints it to match: the hair, the glasses, the outfits you wore that one night you still talk about. It's a gift about your friendship, not another thing to find a place for.

Here are 7 designs that work well for best friends, grouped by the kind of friendship you have.

For the two of you

1. Best friends, gold medal edition

Two friends, matching medals, one trophy held between them. For the friend who has been on your team through every breakup, move and bad haircut. Best Friends, Gold Medal Edition figurine, from $299.

2. Best friends, both shocked

Hands on cheeks, mouths open, the face you both make at the same gossip. If your friendship runs on group chats and gasps, this is the one. Best Friends, Both Shocked figurine, from $299.

3. Paint night with a friend

Matching cream sweatsuits and a pot of brushes on the base. For the friend you sign up for every class with, even when neither of you can paint. Paint Night With a Friend figurine, from $299.

4. Sparring partners for twenty years

Boxing gloves up, shorts on, big grins. For the gym friend, the training partner or the buddy you have been arguing with happily for two decades. Sparring Partners for Twenty Years figurine, from $299.

For sisters

A sister is often the first best friend you ever had. These two are made for her.

5. Sisters in matching buns

Two sisters dressed as hot dogs, side by side. Silly, specific and impossible to forget. It's the kind of gift that ends up in every family photo for years. Sisters in Matching Buns figurine, from $299.

6. Sisters, the superhero edition

Orange and navy suits, capes, fists bumped. For the sister who saved you more times than you can count. Sisters, the Superhero Edition figurine, from $299.

For the old gang

7. The old gang

Three friends, arms around each other, the way they have stood in photos for fifty years. A gift for a reunion, a big birthday or a friend group that still meets every Thursday. The Old Gang as Cartoons figurine, from $429.

Your friendship looks different? Tell us the moment and send the photos, and we'll build it from scratch as a custom Clayfie. The road trip, the band, the matching tattoos: if you have a photo, we can sculpt it.

When to give it

A best friend gift doesn't need a holiday, but these are the times it lands best:

• Their birthday. Especially a big one. For milestone years, see our 50th birthday gift ideas.
• Galentine's Day. February 13 is made for this.
• When one of you moves away. A little version of the two of you for the new apartment.
• As a bridesmaid or maid of honor thank-you. It beats another robe.
• For no reason at all. Those are often the gifts people remember most.

A few tips

• Photos. Send a clear face photo and a full-body photo of each person. Old photos work too, if you want to sculpt the two of you as you were at 17.
• Group gifts. Up to six people fit on one base, so the whole friend group can chip in for one piece. For a bigger group, write to us.
• Name on the base. Free. A nickname or an inside joke works better than a date.
• Sizes. Classic is 7.1 in (18 cm), Grand 9.1 in (23 cm) and Showpiece 11.8 in (30 cm), measured to the top of the head.
• Ship it straight to them. Put their address in at checkout. No prices are printed on anything in the box, and the proof photos come to you.

How it works

1. Send a photo. Pick a design and a size, and add your photos.
2. We sculpt it by hand. Real clay, shaped and painted by hand. No 3D printing.
3. You approve the proof. On Standard and Faster you get free proof photos, and we make changes until you love it. Nothing ships until you say yes.
4. It arrives in a gift box. Tracked to the door, ready to give.

Standard takes 10 to 14 business days at our studio. Faster (+$19 per mini) takes 5 to 7, and Fastest (+$59 per mini) takes 3 and skips the proof step. US Standard shipping is $14.95, free on orders over $249.

Questions people ask

Will it really look like us?
That's what the proof step is for. On Standard and Faster you see photos of the finished piece before anything ships, and we keep changing them until you both look like you.

We don't have a photo of us together. Is that a problem?
No. Send separate photos of each of you, and we put you side by side on the base.

What if it arrives damaged?
Email us within 14 days of delivery with photos. We remake it or refund you in full, your choice.

More ideas made from a single photo are in our guide to gifts from a photo.

See all best friend designs or start with your own photo and idea.