Small Claddaugh with Amethyst heart pendant (sterling silver)

Claddaugh - Love, friendship, loyalty
The symbol of Claddaugh features two hands supporting a heart with a crown on it. These symbolise:

Heart - love
Hands - friendship and faith
Crown - loyalty and fidelity

There are different stories about the origin of the Claddaugh ring.

One is of Richard Joyce, who departed Claddaugh (a small fishing village near Galway city) on a ship bound for the plantations in the West Indies. He was due to be married on his return but Algerian pirates captured his ship and the entire crew were sold as slaves. He was sold to a Moorish goldsmith and soon he became a master of the craft. Years later, in 1689, he was released after William III came to the throne and negotiated an agreement for all prisoners of the Moors to be released. The goldsmith begged Richard Joyce to stay offering him half his wealth and his daughters hand in marriage. But Joyce returned to Claddaugh to find that his true love had never married. He gave her the Claddaugh ring as a sign of his love. They married and he set up a goldsmith shop in Claddaugh. Some of the earliest Claddaugh rings traced do bear the mark RJ (Richard Joyce).

In the nineteenth century the ring spread out from Ireland helped by the exodus of people during the great famine. Today the ring and other jewellery bearing the symbol of Claddaugh are worn extensively across Ireland. These pieces symbolise commitment, true love and friendship. They are often given as a gift between friends and lovers.

Amethyst - Spiritual, calming
The wonderfully coloured amethyst, with its variety of shades of purple reminds us of the spiritual thread that runs through our life and can be used as a tool to aid spiritual awakening and intuition. Amethyst can bring a calming influence and therefore be of great help in times of change. It's excellent to hold or have by you when you're practicing meditation and when placed in a room it can help absorb negativity. Placed under the pillow it may help you sleep better.

Peter Stone Company - High quality jewellery manufacturer
Holisticshop.co.uk has been trading with Peter Stone Jewellery for many years now because we consistently find their products to be of a high quality. The Peter Stone Company purchases raw silver and produces their own true .925 sterling silver alloy in their own factory. All rings are cast to size and craftsmen cut and inlay each stone for a perfect fit. Every piece of jewellery created is hand polished not tumble polished. The gems they use are of excellent quality and the prices we have always found to be very competitive.

Peter Koslowski had been working on merchant ships since 1983 while living in Sri Lanka and was fortunate to be exposed to an abundance of precious stones and he began to purchase and trade them, as well as silver. During this period he also studied gemology and jewellery making in a number of countries. This then lead to the founding of the Peter Stone Company in 1992 in Bangkok, Thailand, where he still resides.