Making Christmas Sparkle

As Christmas time comes around, light is often the first sign of the festivities ahead – the twinkle of lanterns against a darkening sky, the flicker of a flame or the gleam of a lustrous decoration amid the green shade of the tree.

Light has inspired The Royal Mint’s new Christmas Collection for 2022. The interplay between light and shade, glint and shadow has been captured in a range of luxurious Christmas gifts, decorations and keepsakes that will light up Christmas for years to come. Created by a passionate team of innovative designers, the pieces also reflect The Royal Mint’s heritage and experience, and the skills of our own craftspeople passed on over centuries.

A mixture of techniques that were originally developed for coin security have been applied to the range, including guilloche, Hexurity and embossing, which all cause subtle interplays of light that change with movement. Using the technology that normally protects our coins in a new way has created tactile pieces that invite interaction and conversation, elevating ordinary, everyday items into the extraordinary.

What is Hexurity?

“This technique was created to add latent, or hidden, images to coins for added security. The effect involves concealing an impression within a design, which is revealed with movement as light hits the surface of the coin. Hexurity was first used on coinage on the Britannia 2021 bullion coin – the most visually secure coin in the world.”

Gordon Summers, Chief Engraver at The Royal Mint

The range includes stunning Christmas tree decorations with glistening, multifaceted stars, plus one decoration bearing the iconic image of Una and the Lion. Bookmarks created by our medals team feature light-reflecting concentric circles, and our luxury Christmas candles have a multi-purpose topper crafted from silver and bronze. Its lid preserves the beautiful scent of the candle, whilst turning into a coaster when burning, and the rim that remains on top of the candle protects the flame, allowing it to burn consistently thus lengthening its burn time.

These Christmas gifts and luxury decorations are a showcase of the quality, craftsmanship and innovation that we have used in minting for more than 1,000 years. These are just some of the stunning pieces in the range.