Old Willow Pattern
The tale of the willow pattern is based on an ancient love story. A peasant boy and princess were in love but the King would not let them marry. He built a large fence around the palace and arranged a suitable marriage with a Duke. Arriving by boat, the Duke found that the couple had already escaped over a bridge to an island where the Gods had taken pity on them and transformed them into immortal doves.
“Every picture tells a story,
Like the Willow Pattern blue,
And true love will reign in glory,
To infinity! Adieu!”
Excerpt from “The Willow Pattern” by B. L. Bowers
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.
