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Smashed coin jewlery

Smashed coin jewlery

The last time I was at Disneyland I purchased many smashed pennies (and one quarter) as trinkets to bring home with me. Once I got home I decided to make them into jewelry. I painted them with silver pant, then put them in a can and forgot about them. Last night I found them and decided to do creative things with them using my new rotary tool. 

To begin this project you will need the following :

Potholer or thick towel (potholder works the best)
Various smashed coins from theme parks or where ever
Large jump rings
Jewelry pliers
Jewelry fittings (earring hoops, lobster clasps, bracelets, etc)
Rotary tool or Dremel with a drill bit large enough to make a hole for the jump ring to go through (also a grinding bit if you painted them then decided to take off the paint later on, like I did)
Lastly
Your imagination and creativity

1. Lay out your coins and decide which ones to drill first. If you painted them and changed your mind, or want to rough up the surface, you will need to attach the grinding bit and start removing the surfaces on the coin.

2. Place the potholder (or towel) on your hand and grab a coin. This will help dispurse the heat when the rotary tool is drilling and making the coin super hot.

'3. Start drilling the coin. This process takes awhile so be patient.

4. When the coin has finished with its hole attach a jump ring and whatever jewelry fitting you choose. If you want it go on a charm bracelet (like what Im doing) before you close the jump ring, attach it to the bracelet. If you have multiples, close the ring so to dosent fall out, then proceed to drilling another coin till you finish.

5. Marvel at your job well done and show off your work :)


9 comments
Sep 21, 2011. 11:23 AMMissouriVillian says:
You can also smash coins on the railroad tracks. Bring the kids, they have no end of fun hunting down the smashed coins after the train goes by. Be safe if you choose to do it, common sense applies.
Dec 30, 2011. 9:18 AMSIRJAMES09 says:
I understand what you're saying & I like the fact that you've thrown the safety thing in with it, but this is ot something I would want to teach my kids.

the average train takes about 1 to 1.5 MILES to come to a complete halt...

are your children worth taking that risk?? even if you are right there??

Mine are not. so therefor, I would NEVER, EVER teach my children about having any kind of fun around railroad tracks. It's just too dangerous..
Dec 30, 2011. 11:22 AMMissouriVillian says:
It's just something we used to do for fun when we were kids. Mom would lay the pennies out on the track and after the train went by we got to hunt down the smashed results. It was a harmless good time for, literally, pennies.
Dec 30, 2011. 3:32 PMSIRJAMES09 says:
I'd be lying if I said I never did that or had fun doing it....but now that I'm older & can see the danger in it, I'm sorry but I just can't sign off on that one...
Dec 30, 2011. 9:21 AMSIRJAMES09 says:
the easiest way to smash coins is with a 2 to 3 pound mini sledge hammer & a anvil or something like an anvil. least that's the easiest I have found...

Lest you want to build a hydraulic hammer, but that takes $$$ & more space than is prolly allowed on here....
Jul 3, 2011. 2:19 PMBrowncoat says:
Great idea!
Jul 1, 2011. 10:41 AMMella2013 says:
Very cool. I have been collecting these from various places, intending on making them into jewelry but I wasn't sure how. Thanks for the instructable!

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