Jewelry designer Lisa Dahlen began her career as an aerospace engineer, and in technology in Silicon Valley for decades.
But she never abandoned two of her big passions—horses and history—and eventually began making memento jewelry using actual horsehair. While hunting for accents for her collection, she discovered vintage and ancient coins depicting horses and began collecting them. Around five years ago, she transitioned from horsehair to coin jewelry using authentic, ancient coins she sourced at collector shows.
"Ancient coin jewelry uniquely blends art, history, and symbolism," she tells Gem + Jewel. "Each one-of-a-kind piece becomes a beautiful, meaningful, wearable talisman."
18k gold and diamond Greek Cherronesos Lion Coin Ring (coin dates to 400-350 BC), $4,250
18k gold Greek Corinth Pegasus Silver Stater necklace (coin dates to 345-307 BC), $10,900
Dhalen, who's based in Los Gatos, Calif., ran into others who were making coin jewelry when she started working on her own collection, but "wasn’t taken" with many of the styles she saw. "I wanted to create coin jewelry outside the standard design vernacular," she explains. "I felt that the coins, especially ancient coins, were miniature pieces of art and I wanted to frame them in a way that accentuated the artwork."
Bringing the past into the present through impossibly old coins also appealed to her. "When I discover coins, I learn about the economies and the cultures that generated these coins," she says. "Ancient coins allow you to hold a piece of people’s lives from over 2,000 years ago. There is so much to learn and the coins are the catalyst. I hope that my customers feel the same way."
18k gold and Roman Republic Denarius Horse Statue pendant with diamonds (coin dates to114 BC), $3,920
The designer uses well-known ancient coins, including the Athenian Owls, the Corinthian Pegasus, and the Roman emperors. But she's also keen on finding and using lesser-known coins: "I currently have some very small coins on my design table and I’m excited about the design possibilities for these."
Dahlen often sets coins for necklaces and rings with unadorned 18k gold prongs. But for her higher-end pieces, she creates borders sparkling with diamond melee (tiny diamonds). She envisions eventually bringing larger stones into her designs. But blinged-out or not, she says, "We’re the perfect discovery for the discerning jewelry lover who thinks she may 'have everything.'”
