Canada 20 Dollars Silver Coin with Jade Insert 2015 Polar Bear – Canadian Icons
Obverse: Susanna Blunt’s design of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
Reverse: The reverse image by Canadian artist Cindy Deborah Sorley-Keichinger features a truly Arctic scene, one that tells the story of several of the Canadian North’s animal residents. In the foreground, a jade polar bear and her two engraved cubs have made their way to the tip of the ice pack. The stunning jade insert naturally draws the focus to the mother bear, who has turned her attention away from her cubs to look to the horizon beyond the image field. Behind them, two whales show their tails in the vast expanse of the largely iceless waters—save for a few awe-inspiring icebergs in the background. The polar bear’s two cubs carry on, somewhat playfully; while the smaller cub rests, its sibling takes the opportunity to explore its surroundings. Coming nose-to-nose with a seal pup, the polar bear cub’s curious glance is particularly poignant: neither cub nor pup fully grasp yet that as adults, they will be at odds in their roles as the hunter and the hunted in the polar chain of survival.
Renowned for its strength and its ability to thrive in a harsh climate, the polar bear (Ursus maritimus) has become one of the most recognised icons of the Canadian North. This “King of the Arctic” is North America’s largest land carnivore and is easily identified by its thick, white fur that keeps it warm as it hunts for seals along the sea ice. With a unique jade insert added to this fine silver coin, the Royal Canadian Mint proudly celebrates this animal of the ice, and the ecosystem it inhabits.
For thousands of years, the beauty of jade has captivated people—from ancient China and the pre-Columbian New World, to today’s collectors and jewelry makers. Treasured by the Chinese who associate it with longevity, purity and the soul, jade has been used as a good luck and protection stone in the ancient art of Feng Shui, while in gemstone therapy, it is said to bring happiness and harmony while stimulating agility and creativity.
The jade insert on this coin’s reverse features Canadian nephrite jade that was mined in British Columbia, and is prized for its resilience and mirror-like finish once polished. By some accounts, Chinese settlers who were hunting for gold along B.C.’s Fraser River and the Dewdney Trail were the first to identify jade deposits there in 1886; in the 1930s, European miners also found large boulders from the province’s gold mines. But it wouldn’t be until the mid-20th century that commercial mining of jade was established in B.C., which has since become one of the world’s top jade producers.
Mintage: 8500.
Composition: 99.99% pure silver.
Finish: proof with jade.
Weight: 31.39 g.
Diameter: 38 mm.
Edge: serrated.
Face value: 20 Canadian Dollars.
Artist: Cindy Deborah Sorley-Keichinger (reverse), Susanna Blunt (obverse).
Manufacturer: Royal Canadian Mint.
Special features:
• Second coin by the RCM to feature a jade insert, it represents a mother polar bear with her two engraved cubs in a touching scene.
• Highly-detailed engraving brings to life one of the Canadian North’s most iconic animals alongside others that are closely identified with the Arctic region.
• A celebration of a powerful creature in its natural environment, this design is enhanced by a unique gemstone that further highlights Canada’s wealth of natural beauty through its resources.
• Combining tradition with modernity in a particularly harmonious way, the intricate engraving is complemented by a jade insert—a decorative stone that is found in nature and is of immense beauty and strength.
