RAINDROPS are seen frequently throughout Native American jewelry. Sterling silver drops or "raindrops" are a traditional design element. They can be smooth and highly polished or they can be starlike and oxidized.
TWISTED WIRE metalworking is a very old technique used by many Southwestern tribes. It can be found in both vintage and modern pieces.
STAMP WORK Navajo silversmiths are renowned for their intricate, detailed stamp work, a style developed over many generations. Stamping is done by hand, and the stamps themselves are oftentimes unique to the artist or are handed down from generations of silversmiths.
WHITE BUFFALO The trade name “White Buffalo” is used to identify this beautiful stone coming out of Tonopah, Nevada. The Otteson mining family owns the mine where the white stone grows, surrounded by black chert which creates beautiful patterns, and sometimes in rare and more expensive pieces, a spider-web matrix. The stone grows in veins, is hard and cuts like turquoise, but is not technically turquoise, and is generally referred to as “White Buffalo”.
SONORAN BEAUTY TURQUOISE hails from Mexico and is a gorgeous blue turquoise. Sonoran Beauty is a "stabilized turquoise". Stabilization is the process of hardening a stone that is considered "too soft" to work with. It requires that the stone is exposed to high temperatures and then left to dry. This removes excess moisture from the stone and allows for a hardening agent to be added.
