With sunlight spilling onto its colorful wings, the butterfly is arguably the winged jewel of the insect world. 

The Royal Canadian Mint celebrates the beauty of the butterfly on the inaugural issue in the Bejeweled Bugs series of Proof .9999 fine silver $20 coins.

The coins feature precious and semi-precious gemstones that have been added to the reverse by hand. 

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The highly stylized reverse design by Canadian artist Jori van der Linde offers a multi-dimensional approach to celebrating the luminous beauty of a butterfly. 

Inspired by daffodil flowers and curly pea vines, a contemporary floral pattern provides a fanciful garden setting that includes five-petaled flowers, floral buds, leaves and sweeping curly tendrils. All are engraved and struck in a Proof finish that enhances both the natural light and the sparkle of the butterfly. 

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The jewelery-like addition catches the eye with its mix of semi-precious and precious gemstones, including a round black sapphire as the butterfly’s head; four pear-shaped amethyst stonesfor a violet-colored accent to each wing; and an arrangement of rhodolite stones that add a raspberry-red color.

The coin weighs 31.39 grams, measures 38 millimeters in diameter and has a mintage limit of 4,000 pieces. 

The coin has an official issue price of $174.95 Canadian.

To order, visit the RCM website.