Treasure Coins
Treasure Coins, the words conjure fantastic images of gold and silver. In everyday life we think of Treasure coins as something that is in the movies or in books, but never, never realistically in our own backyard. This is just one of the pleasures of living in the Florida Keys, sunken treasure isn’t a fantasy, it is a reality, and a way of life.
It all started in 1492 when Columbus discovered the New World. The Spanish would continue to explore the new world and find vast amounts of silver and gold. The Spanish began mining tons of gold and silver. The best way to bring all of this treasure back to Spain was using a fleet of ships. These ships would be heavily armed and well protected. The fleets became known as the treasure fleets. Although the Fleets helped ward off pirates they did little against the forces of Mother Nature. The frequent hurricanes that roam the Caribbean these ships to wreck. Although the Spanish tried to recover any lost treasure, much of it could not be recovered, so the treasure lied waiting for centuries.
With the advent of diving technology, that which was thought lost could now be found. Treasure divers and historians would use information gathered from Spanish records to pinpoint where lost ships could be found. Once found the artifacts and the coins would have to be cleaned. Once returned to their original luster the coins would then be ready to be made into a work of art.
The treasure coins, the silver reales or the gold escudos, are made into then made into beautiful jewelry. At Depaula Jewelers we custom make each heavy bezel to perfectly compliment the treasure coin. Some bezels may have a simple design and some may have elaborate designs that include nautical favorites such as mermaids and sportfish. The making of each coin bezel is labor-intensive work, but what else would be more fitting for a historic artifact. Yes, sunken treasure is real and can be found at Depaula Jewelers.
It all started in 1492 when Columbus discovered the New World. The Spanish would continue to explore the new world and find vast amounts of silver and gold. The Spanish began mining tons of gold and silver. The best way to bring all of this treasure back to Spain was using a fleet of ships. These ships would be heavily armed and well protected. The fleets became known as the treasure fleets. Although the Fleets helped ward off pirates they did little against the forces of Mother Nature. The frequent hurricanes that roam the Caribbean these ships to wreck. Although the Spanish tried to recover any lost treasure, much of it could not be recovered, so the treasure lied waiting for centuries.
With the advent of diving technology, that which was thought lost could now be found. Treasure divers and historians would use information gathered from Spanish records to pinpoint where lost ships could be found. Once found the artifacts and the coins would have to be cleaned. Once returned to their original luster the coins would then be ready to be made into a work of art.
The treasure coins, the silver reales or the gold escudos, are made into then made into beautiful jewelry. At Depaula Jewelers we custom make each heavy bezel to perfectly compliment the treasure coin. Some bezels may have a simple design and some may have elaborate designs that include nautical favorites such as mermaids and sportfish. The making of each coin bezel is labor-intensive work, but what else would be more fitting for a historic artifact. Yes, sunken treasure is real and can be found at Depaula Jewelers.
