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 Replies: 34 / Views: 3,003 |
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Valued Member
United States
152 Posts |
I was joking around with my mom, telling her to melt down her jewelry and we could melt it into a ball.
But then I thought, what if we melted it down into a planchet and stamped our own design into it, with our family name on it and everything.
At first I thought this was crazy, but the more I think about it, it might be a plausible idea. Maybe I wouldn't melt down my moms jewelry
but possibly get silver since its low at 13 dollars or so. Imagine having that to pass down to my kids and grand kids!
What do you guys think?
Is this a possible task? or just a dream?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
Do you know if your family has a hereditary crest or coat of arms? If you research your last name, you might be able to find it on one of the genealogy sites. Then you could design your die for your planchet around that. Or design your own  That sounds like a very cool idea! |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
6326 Posts |
 I'm pulled different directions on this !...... First off, the idea that your Mom is okay with melting down all of her silver jewelry for the "ball" seems silly ! And I admit I had to chuckle on that one.....  On the other hand if it's relatively cheap silver....."junk silver"..... then.....well....maybe..... I dunno.......if you'd like to put your family name or "crest" on a silver ball, then you could buy a bunch of "junk silver" (save your Moms jewelry) and do something like that. Make it into a "bar" or a "ball" and have it go from generation to generation, with each generation trying to "add to it" as they go along..... Of course hoping that it isn't lost in a divorce in the future, or left to a family member, years from now, where it's longevity isn't compromised.......(like a pawn shop!...  ) That is kind of interesting Sean.....(!) Silver spot price Edited by eaglefoot
08/27/2008 10:54 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Personally, I'd discourage anyone from melting jewelry because for silver or gold settings, the cost of working the metal is usually more than the metal price. Better to repair than melt. People did this in droves when metal prices were sky-high, but in many cases I think they lost money against what they paid--especially when some stones are discarded. Of course, if you wanted to make a family medal, you could always start with a generic silver round--those are cheap and already pre-formed for a craftsman to work with. In case anyone is curious what gets by coin shops, here are three (natural) sapphires discarded from jewelry sold for "melt": Color-change sapphire:  star sapphire:  yellow sapphire:  Edited by KurtS
08/28/2008 01:19 am
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
Friend of mine was one of the largest platinum buyers in the country back in 1980. Refinery gave him a premium price high enough for dealers to ship to him. You wouldn't believe the diamonds he'd knock out of settings, some as big as ¼ carat.
In re: the original topic, there are places like Silvertowne that will make coins to order, in precious metal or base metal. Die cost is the expense, so you'd want to order quantities.
They also have lots of 1 oz rounds with blank or near blank reverses, suitable for engraving.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Biggfredd, I believe you; it's still happening. Here are some diamonds, .1 to .4 ct: Engraving sounds like a nice option, given die tooling costs.  Edited by KurtS
08/28/2008 03:41 am
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
Sometimes coins already have your sir name on them !  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
There are companies that make custom coins also , This link is not posted as an endorsement just as an example ,,I know nothing about this particular business and I suggest that you do your research before selecting a company to produce a coin ,Medallion or art round for you . http://www.coinsforanything.com/ |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
Very nice...your own commem!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
7123 Posts |
Kurt
I have been into Gemstones almost as long as I have been into coins .
and rocks as a whole longer than I have been into coins !
that star sapphire is nice !
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2669 Posts |
Melting family jewelry may be cost-prohibitive, but it also adds a personal element. I wouldn't suggest melting ALL her jewelry, though . My grandfather had my grandmother's first wedding band melted into an ingot for her that she always wore around her neck on a chain. |
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Valued Member
 United States
152 Posts |
Yea I figured I wouldn't use my moms jewelry, but just joking about it gave me this idea and thanks for the site Metalman
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
20753 Posts |
A few details missed. For example just how to melt the stuff. If you already have such a smelter, that is one thing but to go out and purchase equipment for a one time procedure is a little nutty. If you were planning on sending it somewhere to be melted you would probably get messed up like so many from that TV add where you are supposed to send in jewlery and they'll send you cash. There too no mention of Dimonds or other stones. Now if you don't have a press or something to make such a coin and have to purchase that also, again a little nutty for a one time shot. To have a coin with some kind of family emblem is a little old fashion in my way of thinking. It would probably end up in a drawer or there would be post here in about 30 years asking how to melt that down to make something worth wearing. |
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Rest in Peace
United States
1729 Posts |
Better start counting the grandkids before you have family commems made up ... If twins run in your family, you might have to melt your Mercs to be able to afford it!
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Pillar of the Community
United States
1267 Posts |
Hmmm, melting your mom's jewelry with silver's melting point at 1761º F and the melting point of 24k gold is even higher at 1941ºF; crazy idea...
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Rest in Peace
United States
9104 Posts |
A local jeweler will melt down people's old gold rings into pretty realistic looking gold nuggets. Of course, he has an oxy-ac torch handy...
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Replies: 34 / Views: 3,003 |
Posted 08/27/2008 10:52 pm
