It turns out that as with most things, everyone has a favourite style of stitchmarker.
Upgrade your handmade sterling stitchmarker (geometric or heart shaped - see my other listing) by adding a gemstone to it. I'll use fine or sterling silver, at whatever gauge I can fit through the hole drilled in the bead (most commonly 0.5mm; I used 0.7 in the pearls shown on the needle in the examples above)
Priced as an additional extra per marker
Note that the gem beads I have tend to be hand cut, and are all natural stones, so as with all things created by mother nature there may be slight variances between each stone
All my silver is now bought as certified recycled eco-silver, made from 100% scrap / recycled silver which has been fully refined to ensure it is of the same quality as traditional sterling, but of course without the environmental impact of mining it.
Gems to add to stitchmarkers
Sterling Silver will eventually oxidise or tarnish. It's a natural process that can be slowed down by regular wear and by keeping unworn items away from the atmosphere. If you leave your jewellery out on display, this oxidisation will be faster. You can polish up your items, with a soft cloth, some silver polish, or a buffing cloth such as Town Talk, which is readily available from any high street jewellers in the UK
Fine silver is 99.9% silver, and because of this the tarnish rate is much, much slower. Again, a buff should do the job for polishing it back up. If I have patinated your silver already, be gentle when buffing!
Each piece should stand up to regular wear, but , as with all jewellery, please remove it before washing, using chemicals or applying perfume etc
Apply body lotion and perfume a few minutes before putting on your jewellery to help slow down tarnish
The sterling silver used in these items was sold to me by my bullion dealer as certified recycled.
The gemstones I use have been sold to me by reputable dealers as untreated (unless stated specifically in the listing). They are a natural, organic creation from the earth and each one will be slightly different. You can see examples of this on my Facebook page.
I select the stones that I think go together best for each project, hence my comments that each item is individual.