Disney Pressed Penny Jewelry

[kddisney502]

Does your Mom do Christmas ornaments? I wonder if you could string them together in the shape of a Christmas tree? Or, even create a large diamond your could frame and she could hang. You don't have the "have to wear it" restriction.

I love the Christmas Ornament idea or the frame. Would make a great gift

 

[DisneyMaam]

Does anyone know if the pressed nickels and/or quarters end up the same size as the pennies? I am thinking about making a quick run to Disneyland to press the nickel holiday designs for a bracelet. Nice job and thanks, ArielRae!

 

[poohfriend77]

Does anyone know if the pressed nickels and/or quarters end up the same size as the pennies? I am thinking about making a quick run to Disneyland to press the nickel holiday designs for a bracelet. Nice job and thanks, ArielRae!

The pressed quarters are definitely bigger. They won't fit in the penny pockets in the pressed penny books. I don't think there are pressed nickels, but you can do dimes in a few machines. They are close in size to pennies, but maybe a bit smaller.

 

[SGMCO]

I love it!!! I want it!!!

 

[reginaastralis]

Does your Mom do Christmas ornaments? I wonder if you could string them together in the shape of a Christmas tree? Or, even create a large diamond your could frame and she could hang. You don't have the "have to wear it" restriction.

Oh wow, thanks! My mom has eight Christmas trees (most mini trees) and three are all Disney ornaments. So yeah, it's safe to say she does ornaments. Now I'm really excited to head to the parks and get some pennies to start on next years gifts.

Thanks so much!!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

This is so cool! I've never done pressed pennies before, but I think I'm going to start now.

Thank you so much, OP!

 

[garada3]

Love it!

Will you please tell me what the Animal Kingdom design is? I am hoping to copy you with the parks and our resort theme.

Thanks!

 

[ArielRae]

For the bracelet the icon is the tree of life for animal kingdom.

 

[pepe3penelope]

Arielrae, you did such a beautiful job on them! So inspiring to do. Thanks for sharing!

 

[redstargazer]

They look great! I definitely want to try that for my daughter.

 

[LisaInNc]

LOVE IT! I am a professional jewelry making school learning to be a silversmith going for my Associate of Fine Arts. so making one would be a piece of cake for me. I never thought to do it but as soon as my DD returned from her holiday vacation and pulls out the 1,001 pressed pennies we made I can make a bracelet for both of us.

To answer some of the questions about sealing the pennies. Copper will change over time and some people really react to it.

You can try spraying the entire thing with Polyurethane but go really lightly. I have not personally had a lot of luck with that. Wax works well. Floor wax, car wax....you get the idea. Believe it or not that can hold up pretty well. Most jewelers use Renaissance Wax but if you are not doing a lot of them I would just try regular wax.

If it's something you wear all the time you might need to re-wax it a few times a year.

You can also get a really nice effect from Liver of Sulfer. It will turn the piece a pretty blackish color and give it a glow. It's not expensive to purchase but you most likely have to buy it on line. I use Rio Grande for most of my purchases. They are quite friendly to deal with.

Before you seal it if you know anyone that has a tumbler. Tumble it!!!! Some kids have them for rocks, jewelry stores have them. Try to tumble it. I promise you, the results are staggering. They get really shiny and clean and THEN you seal them.

If you are trying to figure out how to drill the holes a jewelers flex shaft is ideal tool but most of you don't have one just hanging around your house. A Dremel can do it and a regular household drill will work but you need to know a few things. You need to tap a notch in the area you want to drill first you can use a regular hammer and a nail. That helps the drill not to jump around. You should also have your piece clamped down so it does not spin. There is a tool at Michaels in the jewelry tool section that will safely drill 2 sizes of holes. If you are not great with tools I highly recommend you go this route. It's not more than 15.00 I believe.If anyone wants more help just message me.

Lisa

 

[DisneyMaam]

Thanks for all the info. Have a quick question-would it be beneficial to tumble coins before pressing? Also, I assume you would just tumble with the final polish for a short period of time?

 

[LisaInNc]

I don't think tumbling before pressing the pennies is going to make any difference unless they have really visible "junk" on them that might effect the imprint. The final tumbling should be sufficient.

It just occurred to me I could offer my services to someone that might want one but didn't have the tools or the skill. I have a studio set up in my house and I am training to be a silversmith. I can provide pictures of my work or references.

I know we are not allowed to sell things here but I would gladly trade my time and skill for pins for my DD to trade.

Message me and we can discuss which pennies I can use yours or mine and if you wanted a sterling clasp or any other option.

As soon as my daughter gets home from her Christmas trip I am going to make one. I would even attempt to find the pressed penny book in her room! I am thrilled to have an easy way to use them.

Lisa

 

[Dashzap]

Copper will change over time and some people really react to it.

Sadly I am one of those whose body chemistry doesn't do well with certain metals. If I wore copper jewelry, it would start to smell bad to me.

What didn't work about polyurethane sealing?