Campitos Turquoise Earrings FJE0997

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 metal working for jewelry making is a very old Navajo technique and can be found in vintage and Old Pawn jewelry made by Southwestern tribes. 

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 is typical of many North American turquoises. Its color is said to most closely resemble Sleeping Beauty Turquoise, and ranges from a 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 1980's. Campito in Spanish is a derivative of the word “campo”, meaning “field” or “countryside”.