Coin Jewelry

People have been making jewelry with coins since they've been making coins, and continue up to this day. Sometimes it can allow a numismatist or enthusiast show off their love of coins, and give a coin a chance to be appreciated in a new way and/or on a regular basis. I've seen coins made into lovely pendants or placed onto rings.

I admit that part of me loves the idea of wearing coins, being decked out in history like some sort of numismatic Liberace. But I also can't help but think of the wear on the coin, rubbing against skin on a regular basis. As you can see I'm a bit torn, but I do tend to lean in the direction of just give me the coin to appreciate in its original state. I want to see the coin itself in the product.

But more and more I'm seeing these for sale:


These rings are made by taking a coin, punching the middle out and then hammering and stretching the outer part around a form. The middles are melted down or sold at a premium as a bonus to buyers.

While they're beautiful rings, I hate seeing them. They're beautiful because the coins used to make them are beautiful and half that awesomeness is tossed aside. The jewelers are also looking for the highest grade they can find so that they can keep details in during the hammering process. They also look for more rare coins because those get higher prices.

It breaks my heart to think about it. It's my opinion that using a coin in these types of ways should prolong the life and appreciation of the coin itself, not destroy it.

But that's my opinion, and I'm sure you all have yours. What do you think of these types of things?

Coins killers.

Crimes against humanity (scribbles out) crimes against the numismatic community actually.
That really is the way I feel, it should be classed as an act of vandalism. And punishable.I don't know why t seems like a good idea to some people, oh wait, no it's just for money...
Yours angrily
Theo

For those aluminium Franc coins I frankly don't care, since they are anything but rare. However I do hate seeing rare coins being abused for the purpose of wearing them as jewellery so I agree with you on that. For example, I have an XF Dutch Republic 1 Gulden from 1764 and it has been made into a broche. I'll take it to a jeweller as soon as I can so he can take that awful pin off. I really think it's a waste of such a beautiful old and rare coin.

I have to agree, I don't like to see coins damaged to make jewelry. However, back in the 19th century it was common in the US for people to make jewelry "love tokens" from silver coins. Usually they made them from Liberty Seated Dimes. Here's one I bought just to have an example:

I have a love hate relationship with coin jewelry and also with the lucite paperweights featuring coins. I dislike the destruction of the coins but just can't resist buying or trading for them at every opportunity. While the paperweights are merely decorative, much of the jewelry is actually functional. See below -

• 10 coat buttons made from commemorative 1/2 dollars (these will go on my old reefer jacket which I've had for 40 years once we get somewhere cool enough to wear it)
  
• Mercury dime shirt buttons (for my vintage Levis shirt)
  
• Set of cuff links made from Victorian Groats (yeah I still wear cuff links)
  
• My workshop key fob made from three 3ds and an 1843 groat
  
• A love token made from a Victoria young head Canada 10 cents. Engraved "Rose" which is the name of our niece who will get it next time we visit them.
  

None of these were made by me, I have been buying them for a long time and I have a boxful of partial coin chains with missing links or clasps. I reckon one day I'll get around to fixing them or scrap them.

Quote: "pnightingale"​I have a love hate relationship with coin jewelry and also with the lucite paperweights featuring coins. I dislike the destruction of the coins but just can't resist buying or trading for them at every opportunity. While the paperweights are merely decorative, much of the jewelry is actually functional. See below -
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• 10 coat buttons made from commemorative 1/2 dollars (these will go on my old reefer jacket which I've had for 40 years once we get somewhere cool enough to wear it)
  ​
  
• Mercury dime shirt buttons (for my vintage Levis shirt)
  ​
  
• Set of cuff links made from Victorian Groats (yeah I still wear cuff links)
  ​
  
• My workshop key fob made from three 3ds and an 1843 groat
  ​
  
• A love token made from a Victoria young head Canada 10 cents. Engraved "Rose" which is the name of our niece who will get it next time we visit them.
  ​
  

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​None of these were made by me, I have been buying them for a long time and I have a boxful of partial coin chains with missing links or clasps. I reckon one day I'll get around to fixing them or scrap them.
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​oh the half dollars kill me. I love those coins

$25 for all ten....... someone took a bit of a hit.

Quote: "pnightingale"​$25 for all ten....... someone took a bit of a hit.

​Any chance of rescue or are they only good as jacket buttons (admittedly awesome jacket buttons)? I do have 1 coin that had been jewelry but is now a nice old Danish 2 kroner which I love.

This is the coin I'm talking about:





People are monsters sometimes...

Nah mate, they are decidedly concave with a button clasp soldered to the back.

Quote: "pnightingale"​Nah mate, they are decidedly concave with a button clasp soldered to the back.

​that'll certainly be a cool project then!

I also dislike coin jewlry when made from nice old, sometimes rare coins but this is the way things go and one reason why even common coins get rarer over time.
At the time many of those items were made from everyday things today we don't have valuable coins anymore but I have made paper cranes out of 100 euro bills so a future banknote collector would say "how could you"

Its still better into jewelry than have them melted down. To bad they cant use the Chinese fakes you see popping up on ebay from time to time