Diwali precious celebration gift

Recycled Pound coin

This solid golden bronze one pound coin was issued with many variations in design. From my perspective the really lovely feature of the coin is its unique thickness and accompanying edge detail. The Latin translates to English as ‘An Ornament and a Safeguard’! They must’ve know as soon as they were taken out of circulation Hairy Growler would be putting them to work.

The original coin details are carefully chiselled away from the surface of the coin. I then meticulously file, sand and polish the surface to a brilliant shiny bronze finish. I then sketch a beautiful Devanagari style Om on to the surface. This outline is then used as a guide while I freehand cut out the design. The overall piece is fairly tough work as the coin is a formidable thickness to compete with! But it is worth it to see the finished Om.

The syllable and symbol Om symbolizes the primordial sound of the universe, the totality of reality, and the cyclical nature of existence, encompassing creation, sustenance, and dissolution. The three parts of the sound (A, U, M) represent states of consciousness (waking, dreaming, deep sleep), while the dot signifies pure consciousness, and the surrounding curve embodies illusion. Om serves as a unifying force, a means to access higher consciousness, and a symbol of the ultimate, formless Brahman, central to spiritual practice and contemplation in Hinduism and other traditions.

Symbolism in the Sound (AUM)
A (Ah): The waking state of consciousness, the initial creation.
U (Ooh): The dream state and the process of life and maintenance.
M (Mmm): Deep sleep and the dissolution or transformation of the universe.

The main three curves of the pendant design represent the states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, the spectrum of human experience.
The Semi-circle symbolizes Maya, or illusion, which acts as a veil or barrier separating the material world from the true reality.
The Dot (Bindu)represents the highest state of consciousness, the source of all sound and existence, pure enlightenment, and the transcendent Absolute (Brahman).

Om is considered the fundamental cosmic sound from which all other sounds and the entire universe emerge.
Unifying Force: It embodies the singularity of the cosmos and the unifying vibration that binds all existence.

Om represents the ultimate reality, Brahman, which is formless yet permeates and forms everything. It symbolizes the eternal rhythm of life, encompassing birth, life, death, and rebirth, as well as the cyclical nature of the universe.

The sound and symbol of Om facilitate a journey from the mundane to the divine, transcending the veil of illusion (Maya) to reach pure consciousness. Each coin is made with moments of lovely time dissolving meditative enjoyment and contrastingly vigorous physical attention! A good combo for my style of creation 😉

Handcrafted and recycled in Cambridge, UK. Size : Approx 22 mm diameter & 3mm thick!