ancient shekel, year 3,pendant
Coin rings that incorporate ancient coin jewelry can be made for men or women, in an almost infinite number of styles. Coin rings are not only beautiful, but filled with history and meaning.
Ancient coins with the “lily of Jerusalem” on one of the coin faces are used in many coin rings that are treasured by both Jews and Christians in honor of their shared Jewish heritage. The bronze prutah was one of the first Jewish coins, first struck under King Alexander Jannaeus, who ruled from 103-76 BCE. The coin’s obverse shows the lily, symbol of Jerusalem, and on the reverse is an anchor symbol. These coin rings are made to highlight the lily of Jerusalem, and can feature settings that are either delicate or substantial.
The ancient lepton, referred to in the King James Translation of the Gospel of Mark as the “widow’s mite,” is another ancient coin that can be made into beautiful coin rings. The lepton, made of bronze, is believed by some to be the lowest denomination coin ever minted. These ancient tiny coins, as well as the slightly larger prutah, also make beautiful coin rings.
The “Coin of Masada” is also a prutah, and represents the store of prutah found at Masada during an archaeological expedition. Coin rings often feature the Coin of Masada. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of Masada in Jewish history, for it was the site where Jews who fled Jerusalem after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE chose to die rather than be captured and enslaved (or killed) by the Romans. Clearly, coin rings made with the Coin of Masada are deeply cherished and may become family heirlooms.
The ancient shekel is made into coin rings also. Shekels had different values depending on the era they are from and the government of the time. A silver shekel from Jerusalem during the time of the first revolt against the Romans by the Jews in 68 CE reads “Shekel Israel. Year 3” on the obverse, and “Jerusalem the Holy” on the reverse. Coin rings made with ancient shekels are filled with meaning and history as well as being very beautiful.
