Sonoran Beauty Inlay Earrings FJE2586

INLAY refers to the process of cutting and polishing turquoise, shell, and other traditional stones before combining them into patterns and embedding them with metal. Southwestern Native American artists are especially recognized for their skills in inlay jewelry.

There are several different techniques used in inlay design:

A "mosaic" inlay is when the stones are laid in the metal touching one another and are flush with the surface of the jewelry.

"Cobblestone" refers to the stones being uneven in height and size with beveled edges - closely resembling a cobblestone street.

Commonly seen, "channel" inlay indicates the use of metal spacers between the stone.

"Corn Row" inlay closely mimics the appearance of this harvested crop - neatly arranged parallel rows of stone with slightly rounded edges.

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.