Ever wonder How Coin Rings Are Made?

Jewelry, in the form of rings, have been made from coins for many decades; probably even centuries. You can read more about the history of coin rings here.

Double-sided coin rings have really come along a bit more recently. They get their name from the fact that the coin is forged (or manipulated) in such a way, so as to preserve the details of the coin engraving from both sides of the coin, as well as the "factory" outside edge. A good example  is shown here.

As is true of many crafts, or artistic endeavors; the process of creating a coin ring may range from the simplest of techniques - requiring only a few basic tools, to rather elaborate fabrication methods that involve a wide range of precise and specific jewelry making tools.  Some of the more complex methods involve not only special hand-made tools, but the methods themselves may be proprietary in nature.

Naturally, the end products from these very diverse methods reflect the amount of time, skill, experience and resources that were applied to crafting the specific coin rings. In most all cases, this fact is very evident just from the appearance of the final piece.

In order to gain some first hand knowledge about how a fine coin ring is made, I have compiled a set of instructional videos that were recently released by a single skilled coin ring maker. His name is Skyler Jenkins and his shop name is The Mint - Change You Can Wear. Although these videos go into a fair amount of detail, they really represent a good beginning. Generally, an accomplished coin ring maker will devote many hours of trial and error work before gaining all the necessary nuances of fine coin ring making.

Nevertheless, if you will watch one or more of these videos, I think you will begin to get an appreciation for the amount of time, skill and tools that are necessary to turn out a beautiful coin ring. To get a look at these videos, please sign up here and ask for the link.

When I sit down to work, I mean business

My bench is where I craft all of the Ross Coin Rings.  Some of the hand-tools I use were designed by me and are used during certain proprietary steps of the crafting process. Here is a recent picture of me where I am checking the inside diameter of a finished ring with my dial calipers.

Sizing is important for a good fit, so I try to achieve the size ordered within a few thousandths of an inch.

Not All Coin Rings Crafted the Same

When shopping for a beautiful custom made coin ring, be sure to evaluate and choose the coin ring craftsman with care. Not all coin rings are made the same. Some are hurriedly folded over a simple slanted side mandrel and end up looking more like a Cone-Ring than an elegant coin ring.

Essentially, the maker stopped the forming process before it was completed. Perhaps they were in a hurry to polish it up and get it sold.

It takes extra time, some special hand tools and a unique technique in order to actually create a coin ring that is not only eye-catching, but also a thing of beauty.

Ross Coin Rings

When you purchase a Ross Coin Ring, you can be sure you are getting a coin ring that reflects hours of artistic effort - not only in crafting each item, but also in perfecting an old-school technique that uses no short-cuts or automated machinery.

Coin Ring Men's Size 11

Here is a coin ring I made from a clad New Hampshire US Quarter. I custom fabricated this ring to a size 11, which is about the largest size possible from a US Quarter. The band is fairly narrow and makes a beautiful ring. Details on both the outside and the inside have been preserved as I carefully crafted this ring. Check out my Ross Coin Rings website, or my Etsy Shop for more of my custom made coin rings.

Coin Ring from Canadian Penny

This coin ring was crafted from a copper Canadian penny. These coins can still be found every so often in your change, but this one came from my private stock of unique foreign coins. As a custom made coin ring, I sized it to fit the smaller finger that is typical of women's ring sizes. It is a size 4-3/4. I thought the engraving on this coin was particularly distinctive and tried to bring those features out in the end result. More pictures of this ring can be found in the Gallery of my Ross Coin Rings website.

Coin Ring from English New Pence Coin

The material of this 1971 New Pence coin is bronze. I meticulously crafted this coin ring to a size 7-1/4. All the original features of this unique coin have been preserved, and as you can see it the highlights are beautifully polished.

This coin ring was just finished today, and has been added to the Ross Coin Rings website as well as my Etsy shop.

Coin Ring for Your Toe

 Toe rings are very popular with those who like to wear sandals and open toed shoes. This old silver Roosevelt dime was handcrafted into a wonderful size 3 toe ring. The small opening in the bottom of the ring allows the wearer to open it slightly and then close it to just the right fit. Check out all the unique coin rings available from the Ross Coin Rings website, or the Ross Coin Rings Etsy shop.

Not All Coin Rings Are Quality Products

It is interesting to me when I see so many "wanna-be" coin ring makers attempting to peddle their initial products to the public. Seems just about every hobbyist that views the typical YouTube instructional video decides they will capitalize on the hobby by quickly hammering out a ring and selling it on eBay. Unfortunately, it is really not that simple to produce a quality piece of jewelry that will exhibit the true mark of an artistic craftsman.

Here is just one example (picture) of what I am talking about. The typical hobbyist, armed only with a plastic hammer, a ring mandrel and a flat file, can generally hammer the edges of a quarter over the tapered mandrel in a matter of a few minutes. Then they file some of the sharp corners with a rasp file and Presto! their ring is ready for the auction block on eBay. This is hardly the work of a true artistic craftsman; and it definitely shows.

Of all the many coin ring makers today, there are really only a very few artistic craftsmen that take pride in the time and effort that goes into each piece they create. In addition the recipient/customer can easily appreciate the work that resulted in a beautiful and elegant piece of handcrafted jewelry, and themselves are proud to wear and show it off.

Certainly, a handsomely crafted coin ring requires a wide range of hand tools; not just a hammer, a mandrel and a file. But more importantly, a quality crafted coin ring is really the culmination of a great deal of time and experience, not just a tool set. The time expended in order to hone artistic skills is usually measured in years, not minutes or days. Of course natural talent plays an important role in the development of any artistic endeavor. For me personally, my interest in expressing myself artistically started to emerge when I was in grade school. And, looking back over all the intervening years, the bulk of my endeavors centered around crafts and hobbies involving some form of artistic expression.

Each coin ring I produce involves a great deal of time and concentration because it must first satisfy my own high standards for quality, beauty and elegance. Only then am I confident that it will be representative as a coin ring crafted by me... Ross of Ross Coin Rings.