Heathergems

Heathergems

Heathergems are handmade from the stems of heather, which is a common Scottish plant renowned for its purple bloom. The heather used is too old to provide any nutrition for wildlife and is pulled in a manner which promotes the growth of new heather.

The Heathergems process starts when workers collect real heather stems from the Scottish hills.

The stems are dried, shotblasted to remove the bark and dyed various colours using natural dyes. Stems of different colours are then mixed together and compressed into a block. Eighty tons of pressure is required to press the block of stems together. The block is then cut into slices and individual pieces are cut, shaped and filled by skilled craftworkers, before being lacquered to give the final finish.

The pieces of jewellery are set into silver and pewter fittings. A number of these fittings use Celtic designs dating back to the time of St. Columba and the start of Christianity in Scotland.

Made in Pitlochry, Scotland.