Coin necklaces have been jewelry of choice since times immemorial. People have been wearing coin necklaces as the belief that it will bring them good luck and big fortune. A silver or gold chain with your lucky coin as a pendant can be a timeless piece of jewelry that you can cherish forever. Such a piece of jewelry can be used for everyday use and it will continue to bring you good luck, wealth, prosperity for the belief you have in it.
But, the question is how can you use your lucky coin in the form of a wearable necklace? Or in simple terms how to make a coin necklace?
We will talk in detail about how you can make your own coin necklace but before we move on to that, let us quickly know a little more about the Origin and History of coin necklaces.
Making a Coin Necklace
A coin necklace can be made in two different methods:
- Method 1. Punching or drilling a hole in the coin
- Method 2. Setting the coin in a Bezel
We will now see in detail how both these processes work:
Method 1: By Punching or drilling a hole in the coin
If you are okay with having a hole through your coin, then you can use this method. This method is easy and quick. However, based on what you do, that is, either punch or drill the hole the time taken to make the necklace may vary. Here are the steps in this method.
Step 1: Make the hole in your coin/coins.
This is the first step. You can either make the hole in your coin with a chisel or a drill press or hand drill.
- Making a hole using a chisel – To make a hole in the coin/coins using a chisel, lay a coin through a surface that won’t break easily and place the small chisel on the place on the coin where the hole is to be made. Then gently hit the chisel with a hammer. This will make a dent in the coin. Now take a sharp nail, place it on the dent, and gently hit the nail to pierce through the coin. The hole on the coin is made.
- Making a hole with a drill press or hand drill – Take a coin that is of suitable thickness that can be drilled easily. Place it on a hard surface like that of hardwood. Clamp the coin to the surface. Choose the right drill bit for getting the right size and then slowly start lowering the drill on the coin surface and through it piercing the coin.
Step 2: Sand off the burns from the hole – Once the hole is made make sure you sand away the burns or extra pieces of metal on either side of the whole. This would ensure there is no stray piece of metal that would make it feel uncomfortable to wear.
Step 3: Put it into a chain of your choice – This is the final step to make your necklace. You can now take the chain of your chosen metal – gold, silver, platinum, etc and hang the coin as a pendant into the chain. To use it with any of the chains you can use jump rings that can slide easily onto these chains. Once done your coin necklace is now ready.
You can use one or many such coins for making a coin necklace.
Let us now look at the second method.
Method 2. Setting the coin in a Bezel to make the necklace.
If you do not want to make a hole into your precious coin, then setting the coin to a bezel is the best option. You can either buy a bezel or make one yourself using a wire of the same metal and thickness as that of the coin. Once you buy or make the bezel of the required shape you can then follow the next simple steps.
Step 1: Set the coin in the Bezel – To set the coin in the bezel you may have to use some silver solder to ensure the coin sets perfectly to the bezel. Once set, sand off the extra solder to ensure both the sides of the coin are smooth and do not feel uncomfortable while wearing.
Step 2: Put it into a chain of your choice – Once the coin is set in the bezel, simply use the chain of your choice – gold, silver, or platinum and put the chain through it and your coin necklace is ready.
Coin Necklaces – Origin and History
There is a lot of thought and meaning behind every coin jewelry that is designed. These coin necklaces have been made since the early 1600s and are of a lot of sentimental value to people as they are passed on from one generation to another as a memento of love, compassion, peace, and prosperity. The coins used in coin necklaces were engraved with messages that are believed to bring good luck, wealth, and prosperity to the people who wear them.
In the olden times, soldiers deployed overseas would send coin necklaces for their loved ones from the land they were stationed in. This was extra special for the recipients back home as a memento of their stay in a land away from home. When sent to a spouse, these necklaces became extra special as they meant a memory of their loved one fighting in some foreign land which they can cherish forever in case the soldier never returned home.
These coin necklaces as such have a lot of sentimental value but once converted into a necklace they lose their value as a currency. Now, that we know the importance and have a brief background about coin necklaces let us look at the making process of the same.
Final Thoughts
A coin necklace can be of great sentimental as well as ornamental value. You can wear it as a sign of good luck, peace, and prosperity. Or as a sign of someone’s token of love. Or you can simply wear one because you love it as an accessory. If you have a coin that you wish to turn into a necklace, use this piece to make one for yourself. And it will surely be a piece of jewelry that you will cherish forever.