Hong Kong jeweller has found the perfect use for your pesky small change

A local jewellery designer has hit the jackpot by finding a novel use for Hong Kong’s much-maligned small-denomination coins. Dee Gogh online boutique founder Carey Ip takes 10-, 20- and 50-cent pieces and transforms them into unique cufflinks, bracelets, earrings, necklaces and finger rings – which make exceptional gifts, especially when the coins were minted in the recipient’s birth year. And they don’t cost a pretty penny either: the coin cufflinks are HK$480 a pair, while a bracelet made from a craftily deconstructed 20-cent piece sells for HK$580.

Ip started the business towards the end of last year. “I made a few pairs of cufflinks for my husband and his friends using coins from their year and place of birth as Christmas gifts. They loved them, so with their encouragement I launched my Facebook page with just one category: cufflinks. In the past few months I have expanded the product range,” she says. “In the near future I will play around with coins from different places, and mix and match them with other materials such as leather. But all designs will be kept simple and timeless.”