A Silver Pendant with Blue John and Malachite Hallmarked 925 Sterling Silver.
Handmade in our workshop in Sheffield.
Stone size 25mm x 18mm.
Pendant size including top is 40mm.
One side of the pendant is a beautiful piece of Blue John on the other side of the pendant is a piece of Malachite, which gives you two pendants in one! This piece would look beautiful on a set of pearls and can also be worn on a chain.
As all stones are created naturally, each one is unique and may therefore vary from the image. However we guarantee they are of the highest quality and handpicked specifically for each design.
Now a little bit about the stones… Blue John (also known as Derbyshire Spar) is a semi-precious mineral, a form of fluorite with bands of a purple-blue or yellowish colour. In the UK it is found only at Blue John Cavern and Treak Cliff Cavern at Castleton in Derbyshire.
During the 19th century, it was mined for its ornamental value, and mining continues on a small scale. Deposits of fluorite have been recently found in China with colouring and banding similar to the classic Blue John stone.
Malachite is a popular mineral with its intense green colour and beautiful banded masses. The banded specimens are formed by massive, botryoidal, reniform, and especially stalactitic Malachite that are dense inter-growths of tiny, fibrous needles. Dense banded specimens are often sliced and polished to bring out their beautiful colouring. The bands may consist of concentric rings with interesting patterns; such specimens are highly sought after.
These concentric banded specimens are most commonly from African sources. Polished, banded Malachite has been carved into ornaments and worn as jewellery for thousands of years, and in some ancient civilisations it was thought to be a protection from evil when worn as jewellery.