Wednesday, January 5, 2011

A Plethora of Penny Jewelry

Ok, clearly I have a thing for pennies. The good news is I'm not the only one; many of you readers are catching the one-cent spirit, too! Just look at some of the amazing jewelry ideas you've been sending in:


Epbot reader SJ helps lead Girlscout troop #1287 in Kentucky. Inspired by my smashed penny tutorial, she had all the girls get their own pennies during a field trip to the Cincinnati Zoo - and then they turned their smooshed souvenirs into rockin' penny pins!

Here's the whole troop, proudly wearing their pins:

If you click on the photo to see the large version, you'll see how each girl's pin is slightly different. I love the designs, and the dangling chains and beads!

Amy D. made this gorgeous bracelet:

Shades of blue and teal look *amazing* with the copper, don't you think?


And Sonya G. used a fabulous chunky chain for hers:


Jessica M. incorporated her dinosaur penny into this fun dino-themed charm bracelet:

Note the little frame with the word "Rawr" in it. :D


Rachel S. found this next example over at FusionBeads:

I'm loving how the pennies are bent slightly to fit the curve of your wrist, and the little bead clusters make it surprisingly elegant. I may have to try this!


And finally, some of you are *also* acquiring (and happily pounding away on) your own doming blocks. [wiping away tear] And I am SO PROUD. [sniff]


Emily M. made this perfectly patinated pair of wheat penny earrings:

[Correction: Emily's husband made these for her. Go, hubby!]

And over at Land Pirate Designs there are a couple of different penny designs. This is my favorite:

(Thanks for the link, Allison E!)

I've actually tried making a design similar to this, but I hit a few roadblocks. For one thing, drilling the holes at the right angle on the curved surface is pretty difficult with my Dremel, and you have to drill a *lot* of holes. (You can't drill before doming the coin, because the doming process distorts the holes. I learned that the hard way, too.) So now I'm thinking I need a drill press. Sorry, John. :D

So, have you guys made any penny jewelry of your own? Share your links in the comments; I'm always looking for more inspiration!



Oh, and if you're in the market for a doming block, go to Harbor Freight Tools. This set (the one I got):

...is only $39.99 there. Suh-WEET! (I don't think you'll find a better price anywhere than that.) I also found this set over on Amazon for less than $50, but it doesn't look nearly as nice.

38 comments:

  1. Jessica M, I'm a dinosaur buff, so your bracelet is my favorite! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Land of Pirate domed penny bracelet makes me think of the sheild bracelet Dresden wears.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My husband soooo knows how John feels. He got me the doming block for our anniversary. I have been asking for a welder and a plasma cutter for years, but no such luck so far.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I really like the idea of using pennies! Love them all- especially the one cent earrings.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I've been wanting to make some penny jewellery since the first one you posted, but seeing as how Australia has neither pennies nor penny smashing machines, I couldn't.

    So when I went to the US I made sure to smash a bunch. Here's two pairs of earrings I made.

    http://www.twitpic.com/3cqpj5

    The green ones are a phaser/raygun type thing and a flying saucer from Seattle's Science Fiction Museum, and the black ones are from the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Saw this link on Dollar Store Crafts the other day. Made me think of you!
    Penny Pendant

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jen, you can actually get a press stand for your Dremel, my mom has one! I'm not sure where she got hers, but I did some Googling and found it at Amazon, Sears, and a few other places. Not nearly as expensive or space-stealing as a full size press, and perfect for crafty uses. I can't wait to get a doming set - I have a jewelry shop on Etsy, and have lots of ideas to try out. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  8. You could drill a small hole in a flat penny, then dome it, and then use a larger drill bit to drill a larger hole. The first hole will stretch out of shape, but the second hole will be fine. Much easier to drill that second hole on the curve if you have the first hole in place.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I would use a screw punch. This little thing is my favorite tool. You place the thing where you want to put the little hole (there are two different sizes) and just screw down until the hole punches out. Easy-peasy. I think that pennies would be soft enough to make that work. Try it!
    Enjoy the day!
    Erin

    ReplyDelete
  10. Very cool stuff....but where's the post talking about the cruise?!?!!?! ;)

    ReplyDelete
  11. The girls look so proud of their work, I teared up a little. Love the penny jewelry & Harbour Freight too.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I would be interested in seeing a post about the many possible uses of a doming block ;)

    I really like the Land of Pirate penny bracelet. That is really awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm the Emily M of the earrings and I have got to admit...
    I made the girly "Squeeeeeee!" noise when I saw them on here!!!!
    I posted it on my facebook page with roughly 6482 exclamation points in the post.
    Needless to say, I am a lil bit excited to see them on here!
    Oh, and I guess in the interest of giving credit where it's due... my husband made the earrings. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  14. I love copper jewelry, so I'm loving the pennies! My sweetie pie and I came *this* close to opening a coffeehouse called The Copper Pot, but God sent us a third baby instead. "It's a fair cop!"

    ReplyDelete
  15. where is that dino penny from??? so jealous!

    ReplyDelete
  16. @ Ezzles - as if I didn't *already* want to go to the Seattle Sci-Fi museum, now you tell me they have RAY GUN SMASHED PENNY MACHINES?? [swoon]

    @Jen_Ann - Really? A stand for the Dremel? This is awesome! [runs off to google it]

    @ Tesori - I'll be googling that, too. Thx!

    @ Carol - It's coming, I promise! I just wanted to get some posts started up again without making you guys wait on my vacation snapshots. ;)

    @ Emily - Oops! Lemme go fix that credit now...

    ReplyDelete
  17. I have ALWAYS wanted a drill press. :(

    ReplyDelete
  18. What great ideas!! I've been collecting elongated & wheat pennies for about 5 years and always wondered what to do with my extras. For anyone interested there is an Elongated Collectors club @ tecnews.org. And you can find elongated pennies on ebay; most for a reasonable price.
    Love your Blog!!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Jenn, my husband is going to totally hate you because I think I need a doming block now.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Harbor Freight has some bench drill presses on sale right now. On model is $69.99. The Dremel drill press is definitely something you should have, though.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Penny jewelry is awesome. I have a smashed penny from one of my favorite local museums that I'm going to make something with, thanks to your lovely posts about making things with pennies.

    All of these are lovely, but I have a special fondness for the dinosaurs- dinosaurs are awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  22. thank you so much for the link to where you got your doming block. i have been looking ever since you posted the buttons you did for your curtains and have not found anything quite as nice as this one.

    BTW, i freakin' love your blogs. you and john rock!

    ReplyDelete
  23. This totally made my day seeing my bracelet in this post. Thanks Jen! For those wondering, the dino penny is from the Smithsonian, picked up for my by my ever-so-thoughtful boss when he made a trip to D.C.

    ReplyDelete
  24. AMY!! I thought I was the only one sporting jewelry made out of PHILMONT pressed pennies!!!

    ReplyDelete
  25. speaking of pennies... has anyone else noticed the new "tails" on the penny 2010. It has a lovely retro flair, but I never like change. I miss the Lincoln Memorial.

    ReplyDelete
  26. oooh I live near DC I could go get a dinosaur penny for my nephew. He'd dig it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. <a href= " http://s92.photobucket.com/albums/l39/mom2cookies/?action=view&current=IMG_0892.jpg<
    Being Disney nuts that we are and being inspired by your original penny jewelry post, I combined the 2 and made this Goofy pressed penny necklace for my Goofy-loving Disney-addicted daughter for Christmas. (on occassion she will go Goth with her cousins just for kicks so this will go right with the look lol) Btw Jen, you sure do have some awesomely talented readers! </a>

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yay for the Girl Scouts! I am going to use this idea with my own troop. :)

    ReplyDelete
  29. drill press.... oh, how I long for thee! I was thrilled when I got a complete Dremel kit one Mother's day.

    ReplyDelete
  30. I am now the proud owner of the doming block set from Harbor Freight! Next "gotta have it" item - the Dremel drill press!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I have been super distracted for several months by Cartoon Brew which I think I got to thru an Epbot link to Austin Madison... Maybe... Anyway, this "steampunky" short made me think of you :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. I got a doming block at Harbor Freight Tools after your original post about them. It was on sale, so I paid less than $25 for mine. I am sad to say I haven't used it yet, though.

    I do plan some penny jewelry soon. When cleaning out my daughter's closet, I found a stash of smashed pennies! She's married and won't miss them at all. };)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Cool! That is the exact same dapping tool set I have. Next stop is a disc cutter so I can make more circles to dap. LOl

    ReplyDelete
  34. I've been doing a lot of research on National Geographic's website for work recently and came across this. I thought you might find it interesting. Yay pennies!

    ReplyDelete
  35. I'm late in the game here. But wanted to offer a tip on patina for copper pennies.
    Find a stained glass supply shop in your area. Ask for their solder or came patina. It comes in a small bottle for about $6 and is available in black (which makes copper pennies a lovely, rich bronze color) copper (to disguise the 'silveriness' of newer pennies) and brass.
    It's amazing stuff! Use gloves and disposable hog hair brushes (also available at the glass shop.)It's essentially an acid so wear old clothing, any splatters will leave pin holes in fabric. Experiment with other metals, too. Follow with a polishing using carnuba Turtle Wax for a mellow glow and to protect the surface. Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Your penny work is inspirational. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  37. I'm always so inspired by your site - thank you for sharing so many interesting ideas with us!

    What type of Dremel do you use?

    ReplyDelete

Please be respectful when commenting; dissenting opinions are great, but personal attacks or hateful remarks will be removed. Also, including a link? Then here's your html cheat sheet: <a href="LINK ADDRESS">YOUR TEXT</a>