This diy coin pendant necklace is the perfect craft for all you coin collecting enthusiasts out there! It’s an awesome way to re-purpose some of your treasures, and better yet you can wear it on your favorite chain; it is going to make you a standout with social occasions.
If you’re afraid of the thought of trying to drill through something metal, don’t worry there are ways to get around that. This pendant I’m showing you here is made from a Danish Kroner and because it already had a hole in the center, it made this easy.
My search for more krones took me to a local flea market, where I found one booth offering an assortment of old foreign coins. and I could have any four of them for $1. I didn’t find any more krones, but I did manage to find a few Japanese Yens (I think) which also had the hole in the center.
Hope I didn’t digress too much, the point is that old coins are worth something ( as far as the age of my Krone, it had to predate the Eurodollar conversion, so I think early 90s) and worth showing off too! And jewelry is one of the best ways to do it.
18 Gauge Craft Wire, Anodized Aluminum
Materials List
Go through your coin collection and choose your favorites that you want to turn into a pendant (or pendants)
Depending on how many pendants you want to make, you’ll also need some thin gauge wire (18-22 would work well) This roll on the left is the kind I use, I love it because it’s flexible without compromising on strength.
A pair of needle nose pliers and some beads for embellishment.
Lastly, your favorite chain or others material for hanging, like leather or silk cord.
Making Your Coin Pendant
This part is for you lucky owners of coins that have holes in the center 😁 . These include, besides Krones: Japanese Yens and Norwegian Kroners, there are probably many others. I apologize, but the info I could dig up on “which” coins have the center hole, was kinda limited.
Anyway, moving on! You may want to clean your coin(s) beforehand if they are tarnished – white vinegar works well for this. Afterward, let them dry thoroughly.
Now get your wire and cut a piece about 8-9″ in length, enough to be able to wrap around a few times. Start by threading the end through the hole in the middle of the coin and make a loop around, it only needs to be about an inch.
Wrap that part around the other strand and use pliers to tie it down tightly. Now this part is fun…you get to choose a few beads to accent the coin and make it stand out.
You only need a few to make your coin pendant look more interesting, I used three and different shapes. The largest bead at the bottom, had a wide enough opening that it covered the wire wrapped around.
String the beads on…like I did here.
Depending on whether you want to wear your pendant necklace on a cord or a conventional chain, you’ll want to make the loop at the top large enough with that in mind. Based on the jewelry I’ve made in the past, about 1/2″ is enough.
You can take a pencil and wrap the end around to get the right loop width. When you’ve got it, wrap that end around keep wrapping until you reach the end, or trim it off if there is too much so it looks neater.
It takes some practice with the pliers to get a neat looking loop, but you can do it! You may have to push down on the end so it doesn’t stick out and possibly scratch you.
You now have a finished, really cool necklace coin pendant you successfully diy-ed! Enjoy wearing it with your favorite chain or cord, and make a statement. That’s one way, now I would like to show you another.
Can You Make a Coin Necklace Without Drilling?
So let’s say you have no coins with holes in the center. Is it possible to make it into a necklace without having to drill it? The answer is yes. While some people may not be afraid provided they’ve got the right equipment, I understand the need to find a different way to do so.
And that involves the use of a special accessory piece called a bezel – which is a round, ring-shaped piece of metal that will support the coin. Here are a few examples:
Flintski Jewelry Lucky Six Pence Sterling Silver Coin Edge Coin Bezel Frame Mount PendantDollar USA $1 Coin Holder Bezel ~ Eisenhower size for charm, necklace, pendant, display (Pack of 2)
The trick is to find one that will fit the particular coin(s) you have in mind. They are all sized differently and you may need to look carefully, as size provided is listed in “mm”. There is a tiny screw at the top shank that you tighten and loosen to keep the coin secure.
It reminds me of the ones that go in my eyeglasses, very tiny. Once you have secured the bezel, you don’t have much more to do than to put your newfound relic from the past on a chain and wear it proudly!
So there you have it, two different cool ways to diy a coin pendant necklace. Which one do YOU want to try now?
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