'Meiðmar' Scottish Sapphire & Elie Rubies Scottish Gold Sterling Silver Ring

Our Scottish Gold has been laboratory tested to verify a purity of approximately 18 carats.  We work with a very small team of dedicated Gold Prospectors here in Scotland, in keeping with our low impact and ethical practices ethos.   It's important to us that none of the people we work with source their gold using environmentally destructive methods, such as commercial gold mining.  Find out more at www.scottishgold.scot

Why do silversmiths use 925%? Measured in parts per thousand, pure silver (999%) is too soft so silversmiths mix it with other metals to make it it harder. The purer the metal, the higher the polish, but it is a lot softer (thus less durable). The harder the metal is, the more hard wearing the jewellery is, but it will also tarnish easier as it has less silver content. Therefore, the silver industry set a standard percentage content for fine silver (925); what we know as "sterling silver". At Two Skies our silversmiths use 925 (sterling) silver for ring shafts and moving parts, and a very high 950% on our stones settings, which enables us to get a strong jewellery item with a beautiful and secure stone setting, without any gluing. Each piece of our jewellery is hand stamped with our Two Skies Hallmark alongside the recognised industry 925 Hallmark.

There is a  short stretch of coast in East Fife which is called Ruby Bay by the locals, thanks to the rare red gemstones known as 'Elie Rubies' that are washed out of the volcanic rock and can be found by patient searching through the sand. The stones are actually a special type of garnet coloured by chromium rather than iron, which gives them a particularly vivid shade and led to their rather grand nickname. Adam  has been painstakingly collecting the gems by hand when conditions are right for years, and we have now had a number of them faceted and polished for setting into jewellery. Elie Rubies are so highly prized that a couple even found their way into Adam's wife's wedding ring!

Relax - you can shop with confidence at Two Skies.  If you change your mind, simply get in touch to let us know you want to return one or all of your items within 7 days of receiving your order, and we'll get a replacement/refund arranged - no quibbles!