Scottish Red Jasper
Our native Red Jasper comes from the east coast of Scotland. The common red colour is due to natural iron ore inclusions, but sometimes it is also yellow, brown or green in colour, and very rarely, even blue! Our stones are a mixture of red jasper, white quartz and hematite. Red Jasper is thought to increase strength, energy, stamina, focus and determination. Particularly here in Scotland, it was known as 'the warrior's stone' or 'stone of endurance' and was used for controlling and grounding.
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.
