The Crystal Raindrop, a 2008 silver proof 20 dollar coin from Canada.

 

This 2008 silver proof $20 coin features a beautiful maple leaf and a large embedded Swarovski crystal. It's the first time the Royal Canadian Mint combines color and crystal applications on a coin.

From the fresh new growth in spring to their ultimate expression of vibrant fall color, the leaves of the maple tree enrich the Canadian landscape from coast to coast. In summer, they form a dense canopy that shields against the summer sun-and unexpected rain. When the clouds clear, the leaves shine with renewed vibrancy, their wet surfaces reflecting maximum light from the sun. But this moment of heightened beauty is short-lived. As each leaf bends under the weight of the moisture, water collects at its lowest point and begins to form a water droplet. The droplet is dynamic. It continues to grow until the leaf can no longer support its weight-the leaf bends and for a fleeting moment a tear-shaped drop of water hangs between heaven and earth before falling to the ground a tiny echo of the life-giving rain that passed a few moments earlier.

 

Canada started the Maple Leaf series of silver bullion coins in 1988. Since 2001, it also issues various proof, holographic, and colored silver Maple Leaf coins.