BEHIND THE SCENES: 25TH ANNIVERSARY SUZAN ANCIENT COIN COLLECTION

 

I LOVE ANCIENT COINS...25 years ago, an old roman coin

was placed in my hand and I was captivated. I loved the irregular

edge and the patina that can only come from being touched

and worn over ages of time...After I designed my first piece

of ancient coin jewelry, I went to NY and found a coin dealer

and have been getting coins from him ever since! When I

get the coins they are covered in dirt and you can barely see

the etchings. We take each one and polish them ever so

gently so that the design is revealed and the patina is

glimmering. There is something so inspiring to me about pairing

something old with new precious metals and pearls--the

delight of unexpected detail and textures. I always design

with the edges of the coins showing, I like the the

distressed markings. Byzantine and 2-300 AD Roman coins

are my favorite, and I choose the ones that are worn and

imperfect. So unlike being a coin collector,

I am a coin treasure maker--giving them a new life and a new story!

This is what most of the coIns look like when we get them!

It is so hard to see the detail and they are gritty and dirty.

Then we use a green silicone wheel on our sanding machine

and lift out just certain details of the coins so that you see the

beautiful patina of the bronze. It is truly so exciting to see the

coin come to life. Making the patina glimmer like this brings the

coins to a more modern look which plays off

my silver and gold metal pieces.

These cupped 600 AD Byzantine coins are my

favorite!!