SEA STAR Under the Sea 1 Oz Silver Coin 20$ Canada 2017

The reverse design by Canadian artist Maurice Gervais explores the colourful life found in the shallow waters off Canada's coast. The application of bright coloured enamel over meticulous engraving recreates the otherworldly appearance of the grasses, corals and sponges in this intertidal zone. On the left, a handcrafted embellishment by Canadian glass artist Loïc Beaumont-Tremblay contains a sea star-shaped mosaic murrini element. The mosaic-based approach to this glass art technique lends itself well to recreating the colour and texture of the sea star's spiny, calcified skin that provides it with a measure of protection against certain predators. The murrini piece is itself protected by the resilient glass enclosure sculpted from borosilicate glass. On top of the reverse, the inscriptions: "20 DOLLARS" – the face value and "2017" – the year of issue. On the bottom, the inscription: "CANADA" – the issue country. The obverse of the coin depicts the effigy of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and the inscriptions: "ELIZABETH II" – the name of the Queen and "D · G · REGINA" – Dei Gratia Regina.