Native Scottish Stones
SCOTTISH HIGHLAND MARBLE
Highland Marble is mined by hand (and dived for!) by Two Skies in the the Scottish Highlands and the West coast islands. Over 800 million years ago, limestone was formed under the oceans of Scotland. As plant life of the time died and settled on the sea bed the life-sustaining chlorophyll from these plants, coupled with the metamorphosis of the limestone, resulted in what we now know as Scottish Marble. Scottish Marble has been prized by for centuries. Fishermen would not leave port without their lucky green gems as to carry one was said to prevent drowning.
IONA GREEN MARBLE
This marble is found on the beaches and in underwater seams at the South-West corner of the Isle of Iona, Scotland. St Columba landed on Iona in AD 563, and went on to set up his monastery on the island - the first Celtic Christian outpost in the British Isles! This 2700 million year old rock is composed of a unique combination of serpentine and limestone which is visually different from Scottish Green Marble. Known by some as the sacred stone of Columba, Iona marble has been treasured and crafted by jewellers for centuries.
LEWISIAN
Lewisian comes from the Isles of Lewis, Harris and North Highlands. It is collected from the ancient bedrock of Scotland and is one of the oldest rocks in the world at up to 3 billion years old (3,000,000,000 years!). It is a unique composition of many minerals including Feldspar, Epidote and Quartz, all of which are part of the "Lewisian Gneiss" complex. Lewisian has been treasured for thousands of years by the clans of Scotland. It was used by the Megalithic cultures to construct monuments, such as the Callanish stone circle on the Isle of Lewis.
SCOTTISH ISLA ROSE
Isla Rose is a rare form of pink limestone found only in the west coast islands of Scotland. It is a fantastic creamy pink calcite which is naturally polka-dotted with green diopside and black pyroxene. Sometimes known as Isla Rosa, it is said to encourage a positive mood and enhance motivation.
SCOTTISH AGATE
Agate comes from the localities of Ardownie, Burn-Anne, and Ayr, in Scotland. Agates are defined as an ornamental, semi-precious stones consisting of a hard variety of chalcedony (quartz), typically banded in appearance. Scottish Agates are renowned across the world for their particularly fine colouring and patterns. They feature in the Scottish crown jewels and have a history of being highly-prized by the Celts, who in ancient times used them as a talisman for luck and protection. The rough gems are collected by hand, on the beaches and fields along the east coast of Scotland.
SKYE MARBLE
An island of rugged beauty - known as 'the isle of mists' - on Scotland's west coast, Skye is blessed with its own unique marble which formed millions of years ago in the shadows of the Cuillin Mountain range. Part of the only seam of true marble in Britain, the unique colour and pattern of every piece reflects the lush Hebridean landscape. With only 1 in 1,000 kg collected by Adam being of gem quality, any piece of Skye jewellery is truly a treasure, but to find gem quality pink Skye marble is even rarer!
EASDALE 'GOLD'
Easdale is the smallest permanently inhabited island of the Inner Hebrides and is known as 'the island that roofed the world' due to the large amount of slate that was once quarried there and put to use as tiles. The beautiful cubic pyrite that is naturally dotted throughout certain areas of slate caused it to be rejected by the quarrymen, who knew that it wouldn't make good roofing material - doesn't it look spectacular as jewellery though?
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! The stones we choose for jewellery 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.
.jpg)
CAIRNGORM QUARTZ
Introducing the official national gemstone of Scotland! A particular type of smoky quartz found exclusively in the Cairngorm mountain range, it is known as 'Cairngorm quartz', 'Cairngorm stone' or simply 'Cairngorm'! It was extraordinarily popular during the Victorian age and was a favourite gem of the queen herself. Whole families of prospectors nicknamed 'diggers' worked on the mountains throughout the 1800s searching for this rare crystal. Nowadays the land is protected by the Cairngorms National Park Authority, making the beautiful Scottish smoky quartz even harder to come by.