Serial jewelry entrepreneur Carolyn Rafaelian, who previously founded the companies Alex + Ani, Metal Alchemist, and &Livy, has a new project: Alchemist Mint, which will produce limited-edition commemorative coins with original copper from the Statue of Liberty.
This is the first time an original element of the Statue of Liberty has been used in a coin, says Rafaelian. The copper was salvaged during the statue’s 1984–1986 restoration, for its centennial.
“I built a brand in the industry creating products of meaning. Now to be working with a metal that represents so much to so many all over the world is the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Rafaelian says. “The metal and what it represents is worth sharing, so I did.”
Alchemist Mint is now taking orders for its first coin offering, an octagonal piece 30 mm in diameter showing the words liberty enlightening the world and Lady Liberty in profile. Rafaelian tells JCK the coins will be available for delivery, in archival packaging with all provenance documentation, during the fourth quarter of 2026.
The coin’s release also commemorates the 250th anniversary of the United States this year. Rafaelian says that 20% of net proceeds from the coins, which retail for $250, will be donated to nonprofit organizations including the American Liberty Congress, the Special Forces Trust, and Purple Heart Homes.
Alchemist is the world’s only mint that uses recycled material from melting to finishing, according to Rafaelian. She says she took custody of the Statue of Liberty copper in 2016, fulfilling the request of Rick Stocks, who’d collected material and pieces from the statue jettisoned during the restoration.
“His request was to get Lady Liberty off her pedestal and make her available to the public, with her message of liberty and freedom enlightening the world,” Rafaelian says. “I’m proud and honored to be a part of preserving American artifacts and history for future generations.”
Alchemist Mint’s product line could eventually extend into jewelry: Rafaelian says she might create and sell a frame for the coin so it can be worn as a pendant.
Each coin is individually serialized and edge-engraved, and accompanied by documentation verifying the copper’s authenticity, including metallurgical analysis and chain of custody record.
On the face of the coin, 50 stars encircle Lady Liberty’s profile, with her torch represented beneath it. On the backside, a laurel wreath surrounds the words We the People, against an American-flag background.
Rafaelian is the steward of Belcourt, the Gilded Age mansion in Newport, R.I., by architect Richard Morris Hunt, who designed the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. A permanent exhibition of the Statue of Liberty metals collection opens at Belcourt in June 2026.
Top: Alchemist Mint’s Lady Liberty coin will come with documentation of the copper’s origin in the Statue of Liberty. (Photos courtesy of Alchemist Mint)
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