Handmade in New Mexico by Navajo silversmith Burt Francisco, these Sterling Silver bezel-set natural abalone shell earrings are hand-stamped with notches at the base of the shell, and topped off with traditional silver drops.
Abalone Shell was traded extensively by the Native tribes of the Southwest and New Mexico throughout history, and is often seen in traditional Navajo jewelry. Abalone is still a favorite today. Abalone is a mollusk shell, with beautiful iridescent patterns on the inside, or nacre, of the shell.
Fortunate to have silversmith parents to teach him their traditional Nava techniques when he was young Burt Francisco was able to produce and successfully sell his own silver and turquoise jewelry before his twentieth birthday. Now in his mid-fifties and a master artisan, Burt still enjoys each new silversmith project and challenge and feels truly blessed for the skills in his hands the joy of his heart that comes from his work.Burt’s studio and home are in the rural Village of Canoncito, NM where he spends much of his spare time “fixing all the stuff in the house that everyone else busts up”.It is also believed that Burt has not removed his baseball cap since 1983.
