Edinburgh Cobblestone Sterling Silver Earrings
THESE EARRINGS
Historical basalt and granite cobblestones from Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile, given a new lease of life and set in sterling silver jewellery - the perfect 'Auld Reekie' keepsake.
The speckled cobblestone has been clasped in beautiful 925 sterling silver. Earrings each measure approximately 23x13x5mm, not including ear hook or eye.
Will arrive in a quality Two Skies presentation box, with a colourful and informative story card. Just let us know in the 'free gift card message' field or at checkout.
Edinburgh's famous 'Royal Mile' gets its name from the 500 year old processional route used by queens and kings, and the old “Scots mile”, which actually measures 107 yards longer than an “English” mile. Popular with citizens and tourists alike, the Royal Mile connects Edinburgh Castle, which sits atop an extinct volcano, and Holyrood Palace, which has served as the principal royal residence in Scotland since the 16th century.
Paving the Royal Mile are locally sourced cobbles - also known as “sets” - typically made from hard wearing stone-granite and basalt. In 2021 Edinburgh Council widened the pavements on the city’s Royal Mile to make it more pedestrian friendly. During this process, all the historic cobbles in various sections were removed, reconditioned and painstakingly re-laid. At the end of the process there was a handful of cobbles left spare, which Two Skies founder Adam McIntosh managed to secure a purchase on with the Royal Mile project manager Stan.
Edinburgh is still affectionately known as "Auld Reekie" (Scots for 'Old Smokey'), a nickname originating from the days when smoke from open coal and peat fires hung over the city like a fog.
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.
