Scottish Highland Marble
Highland Marble comes from the Scottish Highlands and West coast islands. Over 800 million years ago, limestone was formed under the oceans of Scotland. As plant life of the time died and settled on the sea bed the life-sustaining chlorophyll from these plants, coupled with the metamorphosis of the limestone, resulted in what we now know as Scottish Highland Marble. Scottish Marble has been prized by fishermen for centuries. On the Isle of Iona they would not leave port without their lucky green gems. It has been used by healers to help the body return to a time unhindered by the stresses and pollution of modern times.
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.
