Opal Celtic Ring - Sterling Silver, popular Celtic Knotwork Band, Size R, Scotland, Heritage, Aussie Opals, Fire, FREE WORLDWIDE DELIVERY

THIS RING
This beautiful sterling silver ring has an intricate Celtic knotwork band, and is set with a fiery deep blue Australian Opal Doublet, shimmering with electric blue flashes. Ring size R (UK) or 9 (US). Doublet measures roughly 17x12mm. Comes presented with a colourful Opals story card and quality Two Skies presentation box, ready for gifting.

AUSTRALIAN OPAL
Australia once had a lake that covered a third of its land-mass. As the water penetrated crevices over millions of years, it formed opal, a noncrystalline silica gel. While the Aboriginals considered it to be the stone of the dreamtime, nowadays it brings inspiration and creativity to its owner. You've probably heard the superstition that this gem is unlucky to wear unless it's your birthstone. But for many ages they have been considered therapeutic, transformative and a symbol of hope. They were even used traditionally as an engagement stone, symbolising love and fidelity, before being pushed out of the market by 'envious diamond merchants'.

OPAL DOUBLET
A doublet should always be sold as a doublet and not a solid opal! Our opal doublets are made up of thin slices of high grade fiery opal, mostly from Lightning Ridge and Coober Pedy mines in Australia. Once cut thin, the opal is backed onto a piece of potch (opaque opal). This makes our opal doublets very affordable but more fragile than our solid opals.

OPAL CARE
Opals in general need more care than other gemstones as they are quite soft - measuring 6 on the Mohs hardness scale. They are a hardened silica gel and not crystalline like other stones. Care must be taken when washing, swimming or any activities which involve changes in temperature. Opals must not get soaking wet, as in high humidity as they dry again they risk becoming cracked - they should also not have prolonged pressure put on them, for example wearing during sleeping.

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.

MORE ABOUT THE TWO SKIES STORY
"Collected with Conscience, Crafted with Love.."
No adventure is too crazy, no risk is too great, no journey too extreme, when Adam McIntosh sets about sourcing his rare and unusual gems. Born in Scotland and raised in Papua New Guinea, he is renowned for his environmentally sound and ethically created designs. The
chief of the Mi'kmaq tribe named Adam 'Two Skies' on one of his many expeditions to places ranging from the dark jungle of the Amazon to the tropical reefs of Fiji. Each piece of his sustainably sourced jewellery comes with its own fascinating story, and can be traced from origin to creation.

WORLDWIDE SHIPPING - UNTRACKED
Our worldwide shipping includes standard shipping to all international customers (5-20 working days depending which world zone applies to your country) and Royal Mail delivery within the UK (2-5 working days). Please note that our standard shipping is an untracked service. Adding tracking to international packages here in the UK is expensive, adding circa £10 to our postage costs, so popular this is not added by default. If you would like a shipping upgrade, including Signed For delivery in the UK or a tracked service, these are available at the checkout process. Please also be aware that buyers are responsible for any customs and import taxes/VAT disbursement that may apply - these charges are outwith our control and we are unable to provide information on the charges which may or may not be applied. Please see our Shop Policy section for more information.

SHOP WITH CONFIDENCE
If you're not 100% happy with your purchase, simply contact us to arrange a return and a replacement/refund.

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