Alaskan Garnet in Mica Sterling Silver Pendant

Mined from Mica Schists in Alaska, these naturally facetted garnets are displayed within the original host rock (the matrix), hinting at the journey from raw, mined rock to finished pendant. Garnets can be found in many colours ranging from orange, yellow, purple, green, blue, pink, brown and black to colourless. Red shades are the most popular. They also vary in size from grain of sand to apple! Legends about these rare stones are plentiful, as they have been held precious by many different cultures spanning the continents and the ages. One interesting story is that the only light aboard Noah's Ark was provided by the glowing of a gigantic garnet!

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.

Relax - you can shop with confidence at Two Skies.  If you change your mind, simply get in touch to let us know you want to return one or all of your items within 7 days of receiving your order, and we'll get a replacement/refund arranged - no quibbles!