The Handmade One Penny Wedding Ring
Occasionally, we receive a request for help with an unusual jewellery commission. On this occasion, Bombardier Ben McDowell decided to surprise his fiancee Jolene Riley with a unique handmade wedding ring, created with our help. This project took place some years ago, back in 2014 but continues to inspire couples to create their own jewellery by upcycling, re-cycling and re-making ring designs from existing jewellery or even coins!
Despite the traditional appearance of the finished band, the concept represented one of the many unconventional types of wedding ring we have been lucky enough to help with.
At the time, Ben served with the armed forces in Afghanistan. Over three months, he created a simple wedding ring from nothing more than a locally sourced coin and fashioned this entirely by hand.
How the Penny Wedding Ring was created
To create a wedding ring from a coin, the centre of the ring has to be removed to form a ‘washer’ effect. Next, the ring is placed onto a metal rod and hammered to flatten the edges around the rod. Jewellers typically use a special tapered mandrel to enable easy removal of the hammered ring. Without jewellery tools, Ben improvised to create the basic ‘blank’ wedding ring as shown below. After forming the ring, the band underwent hammering with a basic rock hammer and sanding to create the unfinished wedding ring.
The idea itself came about during a discussion. His partner (who hates being spoilt with expensive gifts) responded to a question.
“I will be away for Christmas – what do you want me to get you?” Asked Ben.
“A penny.” Replied his partner. This was the least expensive thing she could think of.
From here, the concept of the one-penny wedding ring evolved.
Helping the couple with their Penny Wedding Ring
Our part of the project involved sizing the wedding ring and polishing the band to resemble a traditional plain wedding ring.
In the photograph below, the final ring appears with its mirror-polished surface. Unlike white gold, the ring required no Rhodium plating and was polished to a bright, shiny finish. Owing to the natural composition of the coin’s alloy, the resulting finish was near perfect.
About Mark Johnson
My name is Mark and I'm founder at Serendipity Diamonds. By day you'll find me working in our showroom—in a variety of roles. My work (which I love) ranges from photographing jewellery, to writing blog posts and helping clients with my colleagues Drina, Emily and Debbie.