Whitby Jet Sterling Silver Celtic Earrings

Whitby Jet

Whitby Jet is found on the North Yorkshire coastline, where the town of Whitby nestles. 180 million years old, the gemstone is actually fossilised wood of the Araucaria tree, making it an 'organic' gemstone, along with amber and pearl. It is very light in weight, making it great for jewellery setting! Jet has been a popular gemstone for jewellery for centuries. Archaeologists have found examples of Jet in Roman, Saxon, Viking and even Bronze Age remains! However, it was the Victorians who gave the gem the longstanding popularity as we know it today.

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.