This client’s father worked for the New York Transit Authority for many decades. He had a subway token that meant a great deal to him and had been wearing it on a chain for years. But when the chain broke, sadly, he put the token away. One day he made mention to his daughter how much he still wished to wear it somehow. This was the lightbulb moment for his daughter. From all the way in Virginia, she found me through my website and we began to correspond via email. She had gone to another jeweler who wanted to solder the token directly onto a band, but could not guarantee the stability of the ring. The token is brass and we decided to combine it with sterling silver, both for the color contrast as well as the cost factor. Her original request was to gold plate the entire ring but I could not guarantee the coin and the ring would plate evenly. As you can see from one of the photos, the coin was very discolored, so one of the first things to do was to clean and polish it as best as possible. To further enhance the contrast, the bezel was also polished bright so the silver shines through the pierced Y in the center of the token. We had a phone conversation to determine which face of the token should be displayed, and we both agreed the humor of “good for one fare” was the chosen one. So I began by first assembling the the bezel and split shank. Next the token was set in a full bezel, metal going all around its edges. She sent me a ring that fits him so we could size this one correctly and we completed this just in time for the holiday season. Dad had no idea what was coming. And ironically, he was sure to get far more out of this specially crafted token ring than one single fare.
And ironically, he was sure to get far more out of this specially crafted token ring than one single fare.
- Materials: Sterling silver and brass
- Richmond, VA
Client Testimonial:
“I just wanted to let you know that my dad LOVED the ring so much! I cannot thank you enough for your vision and willingness to create that piece for him. This is now an heirloom we hope to keep in the family forever. Thank you again and I hope you have a wonderful day!” – J.J.
