€1 coin weighing 10 kilos at jewellery display

Every year, Sterling Jewellers creates a unique piece and this year it was only fitting that the theme should celebrate the historic adoption of the euro come January 1.

A Sterling staff team led by Kevin Ellul and Carmel Gatt has created an exact replica of the €1 coin, down to the minutest detail of both sides.

"These centre pieces are not done for profit - it took the equivalent of 160 man days - but always out of a pride in our team's craftsmanship," director Romina Fenech said.

The coin measures 50cm across and weighs 10 kilos. Its surfaces are made of 6mm brass, turned on a lathe, with a 3mm strip around the outside.

The central part of the coin is made of silver with the details cut out separately from a very fine sheet and stuck on.

Where raised strips extend onto the outer brass ring, the silver has been touched up with gold. The map of Europe was indented by hand and each tiny island carefully cut out and glued on.

The edge of the coin has three groups of 29 ridges, all to scale, filed down by hand.

"There is the letter F on one of the stars which you would probably not even be able to see with the naked eye - we even engraved that," Mr Ellul said.

The euro coin is among exhibits at the Sterling Jewellery exhibition which opened at the Hotel Phoenicia, in Floriana last night.

After the exhibition, the euro coin will be on display at Sterling's museum in Republic Street, Valletta.

This is not the only thing that Sterling is doing in connection with the euro: It is also making "euro" cufflinks on behalf of the NECC, which will be presented to dignitaries. These will be on display at the exhibition and will also be available on order in the new year.

The exhibition is being held in the foyer of the Phoenicia Hotel in Floriana. A separate room will be dedicated to Bulgari, the new, prestigious brand taken up by Sterling this year.

There will also be a more private space set aside for investment diamonds, and a workshop will be set up to clean and value jewellery, to mount diamonds or to trade in old gold.

The exhibition runs until November 25 and is open daily from 10 a.m. till 10 p.m.