This Is Our Story.

It all started just as you could imagine... with our spare change.

To us, coins have always seemed to be the greatest little things in the world.

I mean if you really think about it, every time you hold a coin, you are handling what has passed through countless hands before yours. This simple coin has walked through hundreds of stories witnessing the hard, the good, the complicated, and the beautiful. It has been used by the rich and the poor alike, the businessman and the homeless. If coins could tell stories, we would hear, see, and feel the lives of people all around us: people near and far. These coins would inspire hope, courage, love and faith.

We believe that coins could inspire this change and that is where our story begins.

Back in the spring of 2015, after a long and spontaneous road trip across the country, Danielle and I realized that all we had left from our adventure was a pile of our spare change. We wanted to save the coins from our trip as a memory, but soon realized that if we did, they would begin to collect dust in a box under our bed. What if we could create something from these coins that told the stories of the people who passed them along to us?

That next week, Danielle, the more creative of the two of us sisters, had handcrafted a jewelry line using our spare change. It didn't take long for friends and family to begin asking if we could create pieces for them. Before we knew it, we had a small business selling these handcrafted pieces of “coin jewelry” around the country. 

Fast forward to the Spring of 2016.

Our Spare Change had been an established company now for a year and we quickly needed help in the creation of all our jewelry. Here comes the second reason why we love coins much.

A penny lying on the ground is not worth more than 1 cent. Many people don't think twice about stepping over it to get to where they are going. Most of the time it isn't worth the trouble of picking up.

Yet, we see value in this same coin. This penny could be picked up and invested with time and love. It could be handcrafted into jewelry that showcases its worth. This coin could be used to bring joy, life, and beauty to others around the world.

We believe that people are the same way. Some have hard stories that leave them in places where others don't see their value and worth. We believe that there is no circumstance or situation that takes away the worth of a human being. Sometimes they just need to be picked up where they are at and invested in with love.

This is why we knew our first workers should be ones who could not find work easily in our society.

Cheryl joined our team in the Spring of 2016 after being released from jail. She is one of the most incredible and hardworking women we have ever met - the perfect member to our team.

Today, we work with many others, similar to Cheryl, who have had a hard time finding work because of their circumstances and stories. Each person we work with inspires and encourages us through their courage and hard work. Over time, they have become our strongest team members and dearest friends.

We are still growing and have a ton left to learn but we do know this....

Simple coins can do a whole lot more than we could have ever dreamed of. They can tell the untold stories of people around the globe. They can provide opportunities for all of us to hear about world changing organizations, while giving tangible avenues to advocate and partner with them. Coins can provide work to those who may not have an opportunity without them. And they can create beautiful jewelry. 

Jewelry that looks good and does good.

Here is what we will leave you with.

You matter. Your story matters. What you wear and where you buy from truly matters. You can create change in this world, you're doing it right now! You are the reason we exist and we can’t thank you enough for joining us on this journey.

xoxo,

Danielle + Hillary