Boulder Opal
Australian Boulder opals are the second most valuable type of opal (following black opal). Boulder opals, as the name suggests, are mined from large ironstone boulders under the ground. Thin veins of colourful opal forms in cracks and fissures in these boulders. The thin layer of opal in boulder opals can display any colour of the spectrum in a beautiful play of colour, rich blue, turquoise and translucent yellows are visible, all with great fire. Interesting bandings and patterning also.
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Sapphire
Sapphire, September's birthstone, and its close cousin Ruby, are members of the corundum mineral species; they are chemically the same mineral, just a different colour. This gem can also naturally appear in a wide spectrum of shades including yellow, purple, orange, green and white - corundum in these colours are known as 'Fancy Sapphires'!
Adam has sourced our stones from our network of environmentally conscious gem hunters. They are completely natural and untreated - none of our Sapphires have been chemically enhanced in any way. It is thought around the world that Sapphires are the gems of love and commitment, making it a perfect gemstone to give as a token of love. The stone of wisdom, prophecy, and royalty, Sapphire can bring protection, spiritual insight and good fortune.
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Recycled Diamonds
Diamonds which have not been commissioned by Two Skies, but instead have come to us as salvaged from old, broken or vintage jewellery items. We recycle diamonds for much the same reasons as we recycle our gold - our 'low impact' aspirations and ethical ethos.
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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.
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18ct Recycled Gold
The perfect compromise between purity and strength, 18t gold contains 75% gold, with the rest is made up of other more durable metal alloys, used to add strength. White metals are be added to create white gold with copper added to create rose gold. 18ct gold is appreciated for its radiance and much warmer and brighter tones than 14ct and 9ct (58.5% and 37.5% pure gold respectively). 24ct (99.9%) and 22ct (91.6%) are the purest forms of gold, but as such they are very soft, so are only suitable for intricate jewellery, making 18ct the most affordable and durable option for our varied jewellery pieces.
Why do we use RECYCLED 18ct gold?
Commercial gold mining is one of the most environmentally destructive mining processes (1g of gold can produce up to 1000kg of toxic waste)! We source our gold from old stashes, antique coins and bits of old jewellery which are being sold as scrap metal. We melt this down, purify it, and bring it to the desired gold content needed for the jewellery item (as noted above).
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Two Skies Shop
Items showcased on the 'Shop Showcase' area of the website are available in our Edinburgh shop. As such, there is a slight risk of conflicting interest if two parties purchase the same item at the same time. This is highly unlikely however, and we will do our best to avoid such a scenario by de-listing/removing from shop sale these items within the hour of their purchase.
