Coober Pedy Crystal Opal Bracelet

Crystal Opal

Crystal opal is the term used for any kind of Opal, such as Black Opal, which has a translucent or semi-translucent appearance. The technical term for this is diaphaneity – a mineral's ability to transmit light. A good way to check if your Opal is crystal or not is to shine a torch through the back of the stone – if the Opal glows, you have Crystal Opal! Our Crystal Opal is sourced from Coober Pedy mines in South West Australia.

Sterling Silver
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.