New Hobby & asking for help sourcing.....

[Spittybug]

I have a neat new hobby; making rings and other jewelry from coins. 31589 Here is a few that I've done recently. I'm working on getting better photographs (take a look at this guy's photos of awesome rings he makes: https://www.etsy.com/shop/ArtifactCoinRings ) He's very pricey but his work looks awesome.

My site is less impressive, but the rings are coming out very nicely considering I only learned this a few months ago. https://www.etsy.com/shop/MalbecMarvels I do some earrings and pendants too.

I do commission work and have a small but growing base of repeat customers. I'm sharing a booth with another crafty friend at the upcoming Tomball German Festival in December which I'm building inventory for.

The help I'm soliciting is along the lines of foreign coins. If any of our European members can help me to get a hold of some of the coins that were replaced by Euros or other unique coins, I'd be very interested. The best coins are approximately the size of a US quarter (~24mm), have fanciful engraving around the edge of either face and aren't "thick" like British Pounds. I've been doing a lot of the new issue 10p, 20p and 50p coins from England and they have nice patterning. Older coins may be partially silver, but that doesn't matter to me. The value is not in the coin but in the artwork. Copper, brass, nickel, silver.... all good.

I'm open to straight purchases or if you would like a really special Christmas present, we can arrange a trade.

This is the one I just did... 3159031591 As you can see, the quality of the coin was not great when I started (I don't destroy anything rare), but the center gets sacrificed and it didn't matter. The final product is quite lovely.

If you can help or if you like what I've made, let's talk! Thanks.

[LordFly]

That's actually pretty cool!

[Farrar]

I've always wondered about this sort of thing. On the one hand, I've always heard that defacing U.S. currency is illegal. On the other hand, there are those things which turn pennies into souvenirs at theme parks. On the third hand, you could argue that in turning currency into art your actions are protected by the First Amendment guarantees to freedom of expression. Besides, I've never even heard of anyone serving jail time or paying a fine for defacing U.S. currency. I think it's a neat way to make something new out of something old. Good job!

[SS Spoiler]

Made a wedding ring out of a quarter for my wife, I had an old college ring that cost $1.25, $5.00 for the justice
of the peace aaannnnd......we were married. [48 years ago]

[Spittybug]

The only time it is illegal to deface US (and many other countries) currency is when it is done with the purpose of misrepresenting it to be a higher value coin. IE, altering a quarter to work in a $1.00 coin machine (yeah, like those exist....).

Actually the government should love my craft. A lowly quarter can be turned into a ring that sells for 100 times it's value and the government gets a cut via the taxes it collects. Win/win/win.

[Farrar]

Not only that, but U.S. coins would be worth less if they were valued only by the metal content. LOL

[vps3922]

Had a little tear in my eye when seeing the 1 Mark coin. I grew up with those.

Anyway, great idea. I did not know that this kind of art form exists. Good luck on your ventures!

[Spittybug]

Had a little tear in my eye when seeing the 1 Mark coin. I grew up with those.

Anyway, great idea. I did not know that this kind of art form exists. Good luck on your ventures!


I like working the 1 Mark coin and the results are very nice. Christmas is right around the corner...................

[ALEXAKOS]

I saw your one mark release and I would love to know more about it! I am half german. Can I send you some Greek coins for that matter?

[Spittybug]

I saw your one mark release and I would love to know more about it! I am half german. Can I send you some Greek coins for that matter?

I have several 1 or 2 Mark coins that I have yet to craft into rings as well as having several already made. There is a German festival coming up in December in the local town of Tomball (just outside Houston) and I have a booth there with a friend that makes other kinds of jewelry. I cropped this picture a bit so that you can see the 1 Mark coin better. Keep in mind this picture is with a camera phone and all the reflections and shadows can make it difficult to evaluate each ring. I can always take dedicated pictures of individual rings.

I charge $25 for a ring, sometimes more if it is a difficult coin to procure. I have no idea at this point how much it would cost to mail it to Greece however! I have a 2 Mark already made in size ~18.5mm (US size 8.5) but it can be made larger without difficulty. The 1 Mark rings are smaller, but can be made up to about a size of 19mm I would estimate. A good rule of thumb is the starting size of the coin. They can be made bigger by stretching, but making them smaller is difficult as it requires a shape change from a cylinder to more of a barrel shape. How easy that is depends on the actual coin material and the actual size of the coin and how well it fits into the standard doming dies. Marks can be left polished or can be sulfur dipped and then lightly sanded to highlight the coin details. Not all coins will take the oxidization; the British 10p, 20p and 50p won't for example but the older shillings will. Just depends on the actual composition.

Unless older and made of gold or silver, almost all coins are made of a combination of nickel, copper, bronze, brass, steel, aluminum or stainless steel. They can therefore stain the skin if worn continuously or under wet conditions. Not a problem as it isn't harmful, but there's a reason that top $ jewelry is silver or gold! I dip my rings in an acrylic polymer solution to apply a very thin protective coating. With time this wears off but it's easy to put a coat of clear nail polish on the ring to renew the protection. People with nickel allergies should avoid any currency rings.

As far as Greek coins are concerned, I'd love to give some a try if suitable. The best coins are roughly the size of a US quarter, comparable thickness and have good details around the perimeter of the head or tail side. The middle of the coin is removed, so many nice coins actually don't make nice rings. The more details around the perimeter (not the edge) the better. If you want to post some pictures or just give me the coin details, (I can look them up) I can tell you if they'd make good rings.http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31620&stc=1

[alexwolf1216]

I have several 1 or 2 Mark coins that I have yet to craft into rings as well as having several already made. There is a German festival coming up in December in the local town of Tomball (just outside Houston) and I have a booth there with a friend that makes other kinds of jewelry. I cropped this picture a bit so that you can see the 1 Mark coin better. Keep in mind this picture is with a camera phone and all the reflections and shadows can make it difficult to evaluate each ring. I can always take dedicated pictures of individual rings.

I charge $25 for a ring, sometimes more if it is a difficult coin to procure. I have no idea at this point how much it would cost to mail it to Greece however! I have a 2 Mark already made in size ~18.5mm (US size 8.5) but it can be made larger without difficulty. The 1 Mark rings are smaller, but can be made up to about a size of 19mm I would estimate. A good rule of thumb is the starting size of the coin. They can be made bigger by stretching, but making them smaller is difficult as it requires a shape change from a cylinder to more of a barrel shape. How easy that is depends on the actual coin material and the actual size of the coin and how well it fits into the standard doming dies. Marks can be left polished or can be sulfur dipped and then lightly sanded to highlight the coin details. Not all coins will take the oxidization; the British 10p, 20p and 50p won't for example but the older shillings will. Just depends on the actual composition.

Unless older and made of gold or silver, almost all coins are made of a combination of nickel, copper, bronze, brass, steel, aluminum or stainless steel. They can therefore stain the skin if worn continuously or under wet conditions. Not a problem as it isn't harmful, but there's a reason that top $ jewelry is silver or gold! I dip my rings in an acrylic polymer solution to apply a very thin protective coating. With time this wears off but it's easy to put a coat of clear nail polish on the ring to renew the protection. People with nickel allergies should avoid any currency rings.

As far as Greek coins are concerned, I'd love to give some a try if suitable. The best coins are roughly the size of a US quarter, comparable thickness and have good details around the perimeter of the head or tail side. The middle of the coin is removed, so many nice coins actually don't make nice rings. The more details around the perimeter (not the edge) the better. If you want to post some pictures or just give me the coin details, (I can look them up) I can tell you if they'd make good rings.http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31620&stc=1

My wife has ties back to the throne of Austria. Got a coin we can make as a Christmas gift for her?

[Spittybug]

Alex, I just looked through my selection of Austrian coins and they are not good candidates since they are aluminum! Looking on Ebay and other sites though, there is no shortage of older, better suited Austrian coins.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Austria-20-Heller-1895-Y30/151278811142?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D27538%26meid%3Dbbf6972961ea4dc293586868475b bd99%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D11353%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3 D6%26sd%3D141471114649&rt=nc

1892-1914 for this coin since they are made of nickel and are 21mm diameter. After this they went to iron! Weird. And the aluminum ones, yuk! I would make the non-date side the outside of the ring and it would have some crazy patterning!


Inexpensive and has lots of detail that might be nice. To be fair, I haven't seen this coin to be able to fairly judge. If you want to give it a shot and buy one and ship it to me, I'll only work it if I think I can do it. If I can, great, if not, you're only out the coin cost and I obviously wouldn't charge for the ring. Do you know your wife's ring size? If not, just measure a strip of paper around her finger or inside a ring that fits well. Measure in mm for more accuracy.

Let me know.

[alexwolf1216]

Alex, I just looked through my selection of Austrian coins and they are not good candidates since they are aluminum! Looking on Ebay and other sites though, there is no shortage of older, better suited Austrian coins.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Austria-20-Heller-1895-Y30/151278811142?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%2 6asc%3D27538%26meid%3Dbbf6972961ea4dc293586868475b bd99%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D11353%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3 D6%26sd%3D141471114649&rt=nc

1892-1914 for this coin since they are made of nickel and are 21mm diameter. After this they went to iron! Weird. And the aluminum ones, yuk! I would make the non-date side the outside of the ring and it would have some crazy patterning!


Inexpensive and has lots of detail that might be nice. To be fair, I haven't seen this coin to be able to fairly judge. If you want to give it a shot and buy one and ship it to me, I'll only work it if I think I can do it. If I can, great, if not, you're only out the coin cost and I obviously wouldn't charge for the ring. Do you know your wife's ring size? If not, just measure a strip of paper around her finger or inside a ring that fits well. Measure in mm for more accuracy.

Let me know.

Yeah Ill grab this one. Can you PM me your address?

[Dangermouse]

Owen,

if I know my wife's ring size, do you have a list of suitable coins that yield a good ring in that size?

[Spittybug]

Hi Dermot; there's a "world" of good coins out there.


Domestic (quarters are pretty neat and I can do a silver proof one that won't tarnish - see last picture) or foreign
Copper (often have nice artistic detail) vs. nickel (harder but a few people have allergies to it)
Fanciful scrollwork versus more eclectic patterns - all a function of the coin
Letters, words or country names versus just patterns
Depends on ring size. If she is very small, I need to start with a smaller coin since shrinking a big coin is much more challenging
Some can be antiqued, some can't; it depends on the base metal
Etc..


Help me narrow down what she might like and I can guide you. Let me add a few more pictures. Keep in mind that I haven't photographed these with the intent of them being scrutinized. IE, shadows, blurry, etc!!!
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31650&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31651&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31652&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31653&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31654&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31655&stc=1

[Spittybug]

One of our members has asked me to craft a ring for him (actually for his lady....). He bought it on Ebay and had it sent to me:

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31841&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31842&stc=1
My advice was to have the first picture side be the outside of the ring. Stay tuned to see the progress over the next couple of days. :popcorn:

[Spittybug]

Done. Here it is step by step. http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31848&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31849&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31851&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31852&stc=1

[alexwolf1216]

This is beautiful. Shes going to LOVE it!

[toyotafreak88]

Nice Idea!

I actually find it funny I'm reading this ring thread on a delorean forum. When I took a jewelry class a few years ago, I was about 80% done with a ring that held the wheel from a BTTF Delorean Hotwheels car as it's facet/gemstone. I'd finished my main project and had an assignment (if I recall correctly) to make something of personal value. From memory I used a silver band, then a gold (or copper I can't recall) facet and very short tube that was designed to hug the wheel, only showing it's chrome rim.

It's significance was How Wheels (I collect them), DeLoreans, and BTTF (fave movie). So I took one of my cars, snipped off a wheel and began making it. I can't find the ring parts at the moment, but I did find the car it came from! I was taping up the front axle to prevent loss of the parts as I snipped a wheel off, and then the tape reminded me of the covering on the cave DeLorean in BTTFIII, so I masked off the whole side of the car. Now I have a cave car. :)

31883

[Spittybug]

Did two more last night. I certainly need to improve my photography of these guys though.... The first is a 1918 Canadian 1 penny (bronze) and the second is a 1924 10 centimes piece (nickel) from France. Both spoken for already (sorry!), but notice how nicely the interior (other side of the coin) looks too. What do you think?
http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31886&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31887&stc=1

[Spittybug]

Sometimes you just have to go with silver.

http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31960&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31961&stc=1http://dmctalk.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=31962&stc=1Uncle Sam mints proof versions of the state quarters in .900 silver. These take me longer to work since you have to be really careful when stretching them or they will split. No heat annealing with silver since it will melt. The results are pretty nice however. Being silver they won't discolor the skin if worn for long periods. They certainly buff up to a nice shine too! I take great care with these to preserve both sides of the coin. The inside is as nice as the outside! I've also decided they look better if I sand off the ridging and make both ends smooth. On some foreign coins the ridges (reeding) is tighter and an elegant feature. Not so much on US quarters in my opinion. I can do them both ways however, customer's choice.
Now before all the Texas bashing starts, I can do these from any state quarter, it just takes time to procure them. Obviously the cost is higher because of the silver as well as the extra crafting time, but here is a neat way to show your state pride with high quality jewelry. This particular one is size 7 1/2, but I think the realistic range is ~ 6 to 10. It looks a little orange in the last picture, but that's just the lighting.

[Dangermouse]

What's the cost of a silver state quarter ring vs a standard state qtr ring?

I'll be getting you an order next week, just picking the right one :)

[GS450-Junkie]

My wife loves the Beautiful Japanese 1 Sen Coin Ring on the website you have linked. She will take one if you can find one of those. (or anything else that has flowers on it).

[Spittybug]

My wife loves the Beautiful Japanese 1 Sen Coin Ring on the website you have linked. She will take one if you can find one of those. (or anything else that has flowers on it).

Help me narrow things down.... bronze/copper color or nickel/silver color? How big a ring? The size of the starting coin must be appropriate for the final size.

Did you see the Canadian 1 penny a couple of posts up? It is a beautiful coin/ring with a ring of connected maple leaves around it. Close enough to flowers?

The Japanese coins (and Asian in general) are the best bet for flowers. Let me do some searching and see what I can come up with.

[Dangermouse]

A satisfied customer here.

I got a GA state quarter ring for my daughter for Christmas (fair swap, if you ask me - haha).

The ring looked great and she was very pleased.

[Spittybug]

A satisfied customer here.

I got a GA state quarter ring for my daughter for Christmas (fair swap, if you ask me - haha).

The ring looked great and she was very pleased.

Glad she liked it Dermot.

I just got back from a cruise and brought back Honduran coins. What crap! They remind me of Chucky Cheese tokens! I did a German Festival in Tomball, Tx in December and had great feedback on my rings and earrings. It was a tough weekend as the hours were long and I'm in considerable pain with my hip (replacement due on Jan 22.). I think I'm going to focus my energies on getting better pictures and work on higher quality coins to "up my game".