This is perhaps the most common question I get at art markets! Where do they come from? What culture are they from? The answer is multi-layered. I made them up, I designed all the coins and wrote their meanings in the scroll and I came up with the way to toss and read them. However, as with any form of art, I drew inspiration from many different things: Bulgarian folklore, tarot, modern memes (does the drowning in shallow water coin look familiar?), and more!

Throughout designing these coins, I was visiting many art and history museums across Europe. In France, Switzerland, Greece, and Türkiye, I admired the ancient Roman coins and more modern artworks. I am certain these all came together as inspiration for the coins and the designs.

So, the answer to “what culture are they from?“ is perhaps Bulgarian since I am Bulgarian, perhaps Canadian, since I am Canadian, or even American, since I’m American too?

I would say that they came together from a blend of cultures and bits of folklore, both modern and ancient. Thus, they are oracle coins for modern witches, connected to the whole world.

The coins are made of different clays that are first bisque fired in a kiln, then tumbled (in a rock tumbler) to get their smoothness, then glaze fired (though they are not glazed!).

Note that they are NOT polymer clay! These clay coins are plastic-free, and the only plastic in the whole coin set is the screen-printed design on the front of the linen drawstring bag :)

There are many reasons we don’t glaze them!

For one, I really enjoy the earthy feel of the raw clay, and think it’s an important part of the grounding feeling one gets when using these coins.

Two, glazing them, even if only on one side, would take up a LOT of space in the kiln. Each coin would need to have its own place, not touching any of the other coins or mugs or bowls. If I glazed them on both sides, they would also need little stilts, and those stilts would leave little holes in the back.

I might glaze some sets (on one side) in the future to try it out, but because they’d take up so much space and take much more time to hand glaze and arrange in the kiln, they would need to cost more.

If you are very passionate about getting glazed-on-one-side coins, send me an email and I’ll see what I can do :)

Yes! If you have a specific design in mind for the back, or an additional coin design you’d like to add to a set, or even a certain color of clay you’d like a set in, please do contact me! I am happy to figure out custom orders with you :)

I can also do custom coin flips (a single coin with two sides, you can pick what goes on each side) and charms!

Two truths and a lie:

1. My mom April fools day pranked me when I was 6 that my name had to be changed to Fernanda

2. I cried because I didn’t want to have a “princess name”

3. My real name is Fern, last name Scoins

Jokes aside, I based this project name (Fern’s Coins of Fortune) off of the April Fool’s Day prank AND the way a lady fern unfurls, just like how your future unfurls.🌿