The Heathergems Process

Heathergems are a beautiful range of elegant, traditional Scottish jewellery & gifts. Handmade from real Scottish Heather, this patented process creates attractive "heathergems" each of which is unique, and are carefullyset into crafted Sterling Silver, Pewter and Horn mounts. No two heathergems are the same !

From the home of Heathergems in highland Perthshire, here in Scotland, the surrounding hillsides and mountains are covered in the famous purple blooming heather. Its abundance and colourful beauty have added to the area being referred to as "The Garden of Scotland

The area has changed little over the centuries and the expansive slopes of Heather are the natural habitat of some of Scotland's great wildlife including Deer, Pheasant and Grouse, together with many other animals. Importantly, the gathering of the heather helps in the ecology of the land, as the removal of the older plants allows the necessary regeneration of new plants.

The Heather is gathered by hand…not easy to do, as it is a strong, deep-rooted plant. It is then taken to the craft centre workshops where it is dried and shot blasted to remove its foliage and bark. The dried stems are then cut and graded prior to dying. The dying process is carried out under vacuum to ensure full colour penetration using natural dyes.

The now colourful stems are once again graded into batches of 3 or 4 colour mixes, and of differing stem thickness. It is this random, hand selection process, which gives each Heathergem its unique look.

The batches of coloured stems are then compressed under a massive 80 tons of pressure, forming a solid block, from which each "stone" will be hand cut.

	Individual pieces of varying shapes are hand cut, shaped and hand polished before carefully applying a number of coats of fine lacquer, again done by hand. The finished Heathergem is then carefully mounted into the chosen setting.

Settings include a wide range of sterling silver and pewter jewellery presented in traditional Scottish & Celtic designs, horn handled Sgian-Dhubs , (traditional Scottish knives) and a range of highly collectable items.

The full extent of the range can be seen in The Laird's Castle shopping area.

Heathergems offer an exquisite range of gifts at a highly affordable price. Each piece is unique and due to the random nature of the process, the colours vary greatly from piece to piece. As such, the finished look of selected items may vary from those illustrated, but nonetheless, provides a beautifully handcrafted gift, which will prove to be a real conversation piece and provide pleasure for years to come.