1,800-year-old Roman coin wrapped in "Gallery Bezel Wire"...

Go read this first...

http://fancifuldevices.blogspot.ca/2015/01/cheaty-open-backed-prong-bezels-for.html

Marina of Fanciful Devices has been my go-to for sublime creativeness for a long time now. I can't even approach some of the things on this blog. Learning about the existence of "gallery bezel wire" kick-started my lazy self into thinking of things to wrap to mix with my Roman glass beads.

Coin Guy across from me at the Woodstock Farmer's Market sells -- duh -- coins, and he sells reeeeally old coins along with the usual commemoratives and out-of-circulation bills and coins like you find in hoards and under couch cushions and floorboards. Fascinating. And we all have our own stashes of coins that were given to us kids as souvenirs when parents came home from mysterious trips to faraway places and then later on added to as we wandered to our own far places.

Meet Licinius I, 308-324 AD (Thessalonica Mint):

Here is my first effort at using this wire. Marina advised to make the wrap tight. Definitely necessary. Do not ignore. Unfortunately there was an 1,800-year-old lump on the side of my coin that I thought I could ignore, and I didn't want to file it off in case it damaged any value the coin has. NOTE: This wire does stretch. This is soft, bendy, pliable stuff and I will have to redo it, but as is, it sure looks cool. I also need to acquire some thicker brass headpins on my next trip to Toronto. If the coin were silver (it's actually patinaed brass), then mixing the metals wouldn't be so stark. But the wire itself is cool stuff, all lacy and perforated the way it is.

Oh, and yeah, straighten the coin out before locking it into place!!!

Thanks for looking!