Our “Welcome Back” edition of ECIG goes to a Seattle artist named Wally. He runs his Etsy site called A Cut Above Coins where he sells the jewelry he handmakes by actually cutting old, foreign coins.
I saw my first cut coin at a renaissance fair in the 1970’s, but many years passed until I actually sat down and started cutting. I have always had the ability to work with very small items. Being a marine geologist and working with micro fossils was actually enjoyable for me instead of being a dreaded task. Cutting a coin under magnification with very delicate saw blades seemed to fit my temperament. I consider this exercise, which is also called piercing, an art form: one that has been practiced for centuries. – From A Cut Above Coins’ Etsy page
The precision and attention to detail required to make each of these pendants is so extreme… I barely care if I have anything to wear it with. I’ve never believed in conversation pieces until I saw a ship pendant made from a Portugese 10 Escudos coin:
Click all images to visit product pages.
All my coins are hand cut using a jeweler’s saw fitted with an assortment of fine saw blades. My coins are plated with 14kt gold, and the highlights are done in rhodium, a member of the platinum family, which will not tarnish. I personally feel that a plated coin looks more like a fine piece of jewelry. It is nice to see earrings flash in the sun… A lacquer coating is applied to help eliminate dulling due to body oils.
The artist claims that he has more earrings available than pendants, but he’s happy to turn an earring into a pendant for you. At $40-$80 each, I would absolutely consider purchasing one of these necklaces, just to wear every day. You know the quality is good, you know no one else will have the same one as you…. What more can you ask for?
