Silver Birch

Hand-Pierced Silver Birch Necklace Made from a Victorian Silver Florin

There is something unmistakable about the silver birch.

Its pale bark, delicate leaves and fine branches give it an almost luminous presence among darker woodland trees.

For this piece, I wanted to capture that lightness without losing the strength beneath it.

The tree has been carefully pierced by hand from an original Victorian silver florin, allowing the old coin itself to become the silver birch.

The Silver Birch

Silver birch has long been associated with renewal, resilience and new beginnings.

It is one of the first trees to return after disturbed ground has been left to recover, quietly reclaiming space and beginning the slow work of rebuilding woodland.

That gives it a particular kind of symbolism.

Not strength through heaviness.

Strength through adaptation.

Flexibility.

Persistence.

The ability to begin again.

Made from Victorian Silver

This necklace begins with an original Victorian silver florin.

Before arriving at my bench, the coin had already survived more than a century.

It had passed through hands, pockets, tills and purses in a world very different from our own.

I do not melt that history away.

I work with it.

The original coin edge is retained, along with areas of the original surface, patina and wear.

The central design is then pierced out by hand using a fine jeweller’s saw.

What remains becomes the birch.

A Tree Drawn in Old Silver

The trunk rises from the base of the coin, marked with the distinctive horizontal scars of birch bark.

Branches divide and spread upward into a canopy of individually shaped leaves.

Each opening between branch and leaf is cut separately.

The negative space is just as important as the silver that remains.

It allows light to pass through the pendant and gives the tree a feeling of movement rather than weight.

The Meaning of Birch

Birch is a tree of transition.

It appears where land is changing.

It grows quickly, bends with weather and establishes itself where harsher conditions might stop other trees.

Because of this, it has often come to represent:

• Renewal
• Resilience
• Fresh beginnings
• Protection
• Adaptability
• Quiet strength
• Growth after change

That makes this piece particularly meaningful for times of change.  Its also just a really lovely tree to enjoy, I always love their small shimmering distinctive leaves and magical bark.

Hand Pierced at the Hairy Growler Bench

The design is worked around the shape and limitations of the original florin.

Tiny entry holes are drilled where sections need to be removed.

A fine saw blade is threaded through each opening and the background is cut away slowly, one section at a time.

The branches are refined, the leaves shaped and detailed, and the bark is worked back into the trunk by hand.

It is a process that rewards patience.

Too much pressure and a fine branch can disappear.

Too little detail and the tree loses its character.

The finished piece sits somewhere between jewellery, drawing and miniature sculpture.

Why the Florin Matters

Old silver carries a surface that cannot be manufactured convincingly from new metal.

There are softened edges, faint marks, changes in tone and traces of a previous life.

I keep those details wherever possible.

They remind you that this was once currency.

Something ordinary.

Something handled every day.

Now the same silver carries a tree.

A Woodland Talisman

The Silver Birch Florin can simply be worn because you love trees, woodland and old silver.

But like many Hairy Growler pieces, it can also become more personal over time.

It can mark a turning point.

A fresh beginning.

A reminder that softness and strength are not opposites.

Or simply a connection to a tree that has always meant something to you.

The meaning belongs to the person who wears it.

Product Details

• Handcrafted from an original Victorian silver florin
• Silver birch tree design
• Traditional hand saw-piercing technique
• Individually cut branches and leaves
• Hand detailed birch bark texture
• Original coin edge retained
• Historic wear and patina preserved where possible
• Individually finished at the Hairy Growler bench
• Each piece will have its own natural coin and handmade variations

From Currency to Heirloom

This florin began life as money.

It survived the Victorian world it belonged to.

More than a century later, a silver birch now grows through it.

The coin still carries its age.

The tree carries a new meaning.