Californian Ann Nolen journey into making her beautiful hand painted Animal Coin Jewelry was one of convergence. A lifelong animal lover, Ann also works as an accountant in her local humane society.  She even has a menagerie of dogs,cats and foster pets at home.

BERMUDA - Sea Turtle
She started collecting animal coins  when she joined a coin club with her young son back in 1995. But she didn't want the coins to languish in drawers. So she eventually combined her other passions for art and making jewelry. She now sells her unique pieces on Etsy.

ISLE OF MAN - Norwegian Forest Cat
Ann said, "I played mad scientist for several months to develop my own blend of paints that both adhere properly to metal and are translucent. Then a few months more of practice to get a steady hand for the detailed painting for an enameled look."   A resin coating protects the paint. The back is left unpainted. A bail and chain are attached as the final steps.  Ann says that she knows of only 5 other artists in the world who hand paint coins.

ISLE OF MAN - Tonkinese Kittens
She uses coins from around the world.  She explained, "I personally shop for and choose each coin, usually from coin dealers and coin shows so they are the best quality."  Some of my favorites include the Isle of Man's cat coin series.  The Isle of Man, as cat lovers know, is the original home of the Manx cat with a natural mutation for short tails.

MALAWI - Elephant and baby
It is astonishing to see so many beautiful animal inspired coins. Those include imaginary animals too like the splendid dragon one from the Canadian mint. They are all stunning as hand painted coin jewelry!

TURKEY - Sivas Kangal Dog

CANADA - Year of the Dragon

PAPUA NEW GUINEA - Land and Sea Crocodiles

CHINA - Panda

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Original Post by THE BEADING GEM
Jewelry Making Tips - Jewelry Business Tips