Ancient Coin Earrings

by Rena Klingenberg
(Making Jewelry Now)

These ancient coin earrings are going to be my sister's birthday gift.

The focal point of the earrings is a slightly mis-matched pair of 1,000-year-old bronze Chinese coins.

I decided to do a mixed-metal design, using sterling silver wire since my sister prefers to wear white metals.

I originally planned to oxidize the silver for a rustic, aged look that would be more in keeping with the ancient bronze.

But I was concerned about doing anything that might affect the bronze coins' wonderful patina, which was a thousand years in the making.

So I'll recommend to my sister that she just let the silver tarnish naturally over time, without trying to keep it shiny.

As the silver darkens, I hope the earrings will begin to look like an archaeological find.

I decided to give these ancient coin earrings a sort of primitive style, with messy wirework that will acquire more character as the wire oxidizes naturally:

I made the earwires from 21 gauge sterling silver wire:



You can see my easy tutorial for these earring wires if you'd like to make some in this style.

One of the fun things about making coin jewelry is wondering about the past.

Did these coins jingle in someone's pocket long ago, or were they carried in a silk purse? What things did people purchase with them? Were these ever made into jewelry before, sometime during the past ten centuries?

Rena Klingenberg
Making Jewelry Now