The prickly purple thistle was adopted as the Emblem of Scotland during the reign of Alexander III (1249 -1286). Legend has it that an Army of King Haakon of Norway, intent on conquering the Scots landed at the Coast of Largs at night to surprise the sleeping Scottish Clansmen. In order to move more stealthily under the cover of darkness the Norsemen removed their footwear. As they drew near to the Scots it wasn't the only thing hiding under the cover of darkness. For one of Haakon’s men unfortunately stood on one of these spiny little defenders and shrieked out in pain, alerting the Clansmen of the advancing Norsemen. Needless to say the Scots won the day.
Viking Knit - is a wire weaving technique that involves wrapping and looping a wire, usually around a stick-like tool such as a wooden dowel, in a particular pattern. Typically, the piece is pulled through a draw plate when finished, which decreases the diameter and increases the length while tightening and evening out pattern.
Maw sit sit is rare and isn't easy to find, primarily because it is currently found only in that single location of Burma. Because it is so rare, it is a popular gem among collectors but is not readily available through most jewelers. Because the gem is rare, it is typically set into gold rather than silver. It looks beautiful in either metal color, which explains why a few collectors have also had stones set into platinum. The gemstone is never faceted, but generally cabochon cut or cut into beads. Faceting would destroy the beautiful banding of the stone and detract from is natural glass-like texture.