One of our signature products at Silver Hollow Jewellery is our wide variety of unique vintage rings hand crafted from recycled coins. A question we’re often asked both at local markets and online is ‘How are these made?’. So, we want to take you through the process from old currency to bespoke one-of-a-kind jewellery.
The first step
The first step of making is to punch a hole in the centre of the coin. For this we use a special steel punch under a hydraulic press. Around 2-6 tons of pressure is needed for this step.
Getting rid of those sharp edges
After the hole is punched through the coin, a sharp edge is left along the ridge of the cut which we then remove using a deburring tool. When using silver we make sure to collect the thin strips that this removes to then melt down and recycle into new jewellery!
Time for some heat
Now the metal needs to be softened before we start bending it. This process is called annealing where we heat the metal up to a dull red colour before then quenching it in water and cooling it down again. This process changes the structure of the metal molecules, making it softer, easier to bend, and less likely to split or fracture.
The fold
Next, we want to transform this flat donut shaped coin into more of a cone. This is done using the hydraulic press again, this time with a metal die and cone to fold the coin in on itself. Keeping the coin straight throughout this process is essential, so that we don’t end up with a wonky ring at the end.
Ring stretching
Now we have a cone shape we want to straighten this into a ring. Using the ring stretcher we stretch out the cone until the walls of the ring are straight.
Ring sizing
Now we have the ring shaped, its time to size it. For this we squeeze each edge of the ring into a metal die with the hydraulic press to make smaller sizes, or continue to stretch with the ring stretcher. We check the fit of the ring with a sizing mandrel constantly to ensure the perfect size.
Polishing
The final stage of making a coin ring is to polish the piece to a mirror shiny finish. We use a rotary tool for this and a variety of different grades of polishing bits- from 80 grit all the way to 5000 grit, working our way up to a smooth polished finish.
The final result is a unique bespoke ring handcrafted from a coin. This can be done with almost any coin, from antique sterling silver to coins you have from a holiday. We can transform a coin into any size ring from A to Z+4. So, if you have a sentimental piece of currency that you want transformed into a unique accessory don’t hesitate to contact us!