Connemara Marble Sterling Silver Drop Earrings

Connemara Marble

A Celtic cousin of our Scottish Highland Marble - Connemara Marble, also known as Connemara Green or Irish Green, is mined from an ancient vein of rare 600 million year old marble which runs through the area of Clifton, the capital of the Connemara district in the west of Ireland. Only one mine continues to operate today, making obtaining genuine rough material very difficult. Said to comprise '40 shades of green', Connemara Marble has long been loved by the people of the Emerald Isle as a token of friendship and good luck.

Sterling Silver (925%)

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.