(And why we've been turning them into keepsakes since 2009.)

Well... the votes are in!

First of all, thank you to everyone who joined our Canada Day Trivia Contest. Reading your guesses was half the fun.

So... the answer?

When Canada retired the penny, there were approximately 6 billion pennies still in circulation.

Six. Billion.  With a "B".

That's a lot of lucky pennies.

It also got me thinking about why we still love them so much.

Find a penny, pick it up...

Most of us grew up with the same little rhyme.

"Find a penny, pick it up..."

You probably finished the rest in your head.

There was something oddly comforting about finding a penny on the sidewalk. Even if it only bought you one cent, it somehow felt worth stopping for.

Maybe it would bring good luck.

Maybe it would make your day feel just a little better.

Whatever the reason, almost everyone I know has their own lucky penny story.

Then one day... they disappeared.

In 2012, Canada announced it was retiring the penny.

By the following year, businesses stopped receiving them and cash purchases began rounding to the nearest five cents.

Practical? Absolutely. A little sad? Also yes.

Suddenly something we'd barely thought about for decades became something we'd eventually miss.

The penny's second story

Long before the penny disappeared, CITRUS had already fallen in love with it.

Back in 2009, Karen introduced our very first Canada penny designs.

The idea wasn't to make a souvenir.

It was to take something familiar... something every Canadian recognized... and turn it into something people would actually wear.

A keepsake. Or a conversation starter. Or for many, a little reminder of home.

More than fifteen years later, it's still the one people come back to again and again.

A collection inspired by Canada

Our Canadiana Collection has never really been about coins.

It's about Canada. This land we call home and the tiny symbols that represent it.

That's why you'll find lucky pennies alongside maple leaves, Algonquin-inspired pieces, heritage designs, and keepsakes inspired by some of Canada's most beautiful places.

Each one starts with the same question:

"What makes this place feel like Canada?"

And then we turn that feeling into jewelry.

Why we still make them

One of my favourite things about jewelry is how it can carry a story.

A penny might remind you of your childhood.

Anyone ever put a penny on a railroad track to see it flattened after the train has passed?

Or maybe one passed down from a grandparent that represents a little extra luck.

Whatever your story is... that's the one worth holding onto.

And that's what CITRUS has always been about.

One last fun fact...

Canada produced approximately 35 billion pennies between 1908 and 2012.

Some are tucked away in jars. Some are still hiding in old coat pockets.

And a few... have been polished to a brilliant shine to become new necklaces.  Personally, I think that's a much better ending.

Explore the Canadiana Collection

Our Canadiana Collection celebrates the little things that make Canada feel like home.

From our original Lucky Penny Necklace to maple leaf keepsakes and heritage-inspired designs, every piece is handcrafted in Canada and made to tell a story.

Wear Your Story.

SHOP THE CANADIANA COLLECTION