Introduction: How to Make a Coin Into a Pendant

By
About: I'm just a lady who likes making stuff. I got my degree in engineering but also enjoy cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening and backpacking, among other things.

Last winter, one of my best friends and I went traveling through Europe together. It was definitely a memorable experience and for her birthday this year, I wanted to give her a memento from our awesome vacation. I had this 10 cent coin from our trip that I turned into a cute necklace for her to wear and remember our all the fun adventures we had.

This is a simple, heartfelt gift that makes a unique and inexpensive souvenir for any trip!

Step 1: Materials

Here's what you will need:

  • coin (I used a 10 cent euro, but you can use anything)
  • a chain in the length of your choice (I got a chain that already had the clasps attached but you can make it yourself if you want)
  • a jump ring
  • drill with small drill bit capable of drilling through metal (I tried to use a metal punch at first, but it wasn't strong enough to punch through the coin)
  • pliers

Step 2: Make the Hole

I first tried to make a hole in the coin using a metal punch, but the coin was too thick and it didn't work :(

I ended up going to the hardware store and getting a small drill bit specifically for metal and that ended up working great. I used vice grips and a clamp to hold the coin in place while I drilled. I didn't want to damage the surface of the coin so I used the cardboard packaging that the drill bit to wrap around the coin while I was drilling it.

I drilled through about halfway through the coin, then flipped it over and drilled through the rest of the way. This method kept burs to a minimum, which made finishing the coin a lot easier.

Once you have a hole all the way through your coin you might need to use some sand paper or de-burring tool to smooth out any rough edges on the hole.

Step 3: Add the Jump Ring

I used my pliers to open the jump ring and slid the coin onto it. (Jessyratfink has a great tutorial on this you can find here.) Before I closed the jump ring I attached it to the chain since the closures on the chain I got were too small to fit through the jump ring after it was closed. I actually like that since that means the coin won't slip off accidentally.

Step 4: Presentation

To give this to my friend, I got a nice ceramic box to present it in. I used a piece of foam from another necklace I bought and traced the outer diameter of the box onto the foam using a silver eyeliner pencil so it would show up on the black foam. Once I had traced it, I cut it out using heavy duty scissors. It's ok if the circle isn't perfect, since it will be squished into the box it will look fine. The foam I used already had two slits in it that I strung the necklace through to keep it in place inside the box.

Step 5: Give Your Gift!

I slipped the necklace through the two slits and then stuck the foam into the box with the excess chain from the necklace underneath the foam. It's an easy way to showcase this simple necklace and makes the whole gift that much more special!

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