Tradition and modern craftsmanship combine in these stunning Campitos Turquoise Earrings by Navajo silversmith Michael Caladitto. Repoussé half-moons, unique deeply stamped designs, twisted metal, and silver drops with beautiful Mexican turquoise.
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 may be unique to the artist or handed in a family of silversmiths.
Twisted wire metalworking for jewelry making is a very old Navajo technique and can be found in vintage and Old Pawn jewelry made by Southwestern tribes. Sterling Silver drops are also a design element that you will see frequently in Native American handmade jewelry.
Mined in Mexico from the Pino Chueco and Cananea mines in Sonora, Campitos Turquoise was mined extensively in ancient times, with evidence of trade with Native American peoples. Campitos is unique in several ways. It grows in clay as free-form nuggets, rather than as veins which are typical of many North American turquoises. Its color is said to most closely resemble Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, and ranges from light to medium blue with no matrix, and occasionally pyrite inclusions, giving it a bit of sparkle. A lovely, hard stone with beautiful color, Campitos is a favorite for jewelry artisans. The mine as we know it today has been producing since the 1980s. Campito in Spanish is a derivative of the word “campo”, meaning “field” or “countryside”.
Authentic Handmade Native American Jewelry
