Are coins used in jewelry real?

Factual Questions
1

Examples:

I’ve seen a couple with impossibly old coins, but a coin dealer said mounting it erases all numismatic value.

My question: are coins used in jewelry always, usually, sometimes, or never real coins?

2

There are plenty of high grade coins of those in your Macy’s ads. Those coins are worth the value of the gold in them, unless they are in perfect condition, which they weren’t. Virtually all the coins in those ads are MS67/8 or less, while MS69 is common and MS70 is the rare valuable one.

Yes, mounting and the wear that will come from exposure will decrease the value of coins. But the ones in the ad aren’t rare, or even that old.

3

I looked at your first link, and the coins do look like genuine gold bullion coins of the United States. They’re not intended to circulate as coins in ordinary commerce, but they are genuine coins manufactured by the Mint, using pretty much the same process they use to stamp out dimes or nickels.

It is true that mounting an antique silver or gold coin in jewelry will generally spoil its numismatic value, but not such coins have any numismatic value. Such coins are worth only as much as the gold or silver they contain, and I wouldn’t think there’s much reason why they shouldn’t be used in jewelry. There are numerous such examples among pre-1965 silver coins and pre-1933 gold coins.

4

Especially considering the markup you can apparently get selling them as jewelry. What appears to be modern 1/10 oz US bullion coins in those $3300 earrings have a value which obviously fluctuates with the price of gold, but are currently worth about $150 each (denominated at $5).

5

I should say you can currently buy them for about $150 each, with gold prices in the $1300/oz range. For instance, here, which will show you what the other side of the coin looks like:

http://www.goldandsilveronline.com/p/15/5--Dollar-tenth-oz-american-eagle-gold-coin?ref=gmc&gclid=COqboLr277kCFQt1QgodO2sAAQ#

6

I just went to a jeweler and she said many are just the image of the coin stamped on a blank. That doesn’t mean it’s not real gold or silver, but if the dimensions are different, then it’s less gold/silver than the government issued coin.

7

They’re real. I could make up the same earrings from stock(ordering the bezels) and would have less than $650. invested. 'course, that’s cost.
departmemt store jewelry has the highest markups in the jewelry biz.