Scottish Carnelian Sterling Silver Celtic Rectangular Pendant

Scottish Carnelian

Carnelian is born when white quartz fuses with iron oxide, which causes the crystal to flush with fiery oranges, golden yellows and rich reds. Carnelian is beautiful when polished, and this gemstone famously gained popularity in the 19th century, when Queen Victoria started a fashion for 'Scottish Pebble' jewellery. Wearing Carnelian is said to increase confidence, and promote creativity and happiness.

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.