ABOUT THE JEWELLERY

All pieces which contain more than 7.8 grams of sterling or Hill Tribe silver have been hallmarked by the Assay Office.

The hallmark consists of three marks - my own personal sponsors' mark (NC), a mark indicating the standard of fineness of the silver (925), and the anchor mark of the Birmingham Assay Office.

Pieces which contain less than 7.8 grams of silver are not required to be hallmarked.

Metals used:

Sterling Silver - 92.5% pure silver.

Fine Silver - 99.5% pure silver.

Hill Tribe Silver - hand worked silver from tradional craftsmen of the Karen Hill Tribes people of Thailand, 95-99% pure silver, with a unique appearance.

Bali Silver - intricately worked silver from traditional Balinese craftsmen, with a similar silver content to sterling silver.

Vermeil - 22k gold which has been bonded onto sterling silver.

Silver and gold ceramic beads - These are hand formed ceramic beads from Greece, which are fired in a kiln. A coating of copper is then applied to the beads, and they are fired for a second time. Finally a layer of either fine silver or gold is applied, and the beads fired in the kiln for a third time. This fuses the metal to the ceramic, resulting is very beautiful, and hard wearing beads.