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TOURQUOISE
 Although
turquoise is mined around the world, the most
famous turquoise jewelry comes from the southwestern
United States. Without question, the Navajo and
Zuni silversmiths from the Four Corners region
of New Mexico and Arizona produce the finest.
They create myriad forms of inlaid turquoise and
silver jewelry, including rings, bracelets, necklaces,
earrings, pendants, brooches, belt buckles, bola
ties, watchbands, and even barrettes.
Nor will you have trouble
recognizing the style. It's as distinctive as
it is beautiful. Turquoise and shells are meticulously
cut, fitted and inlaid contiguously in handcrafted
silver jewelry, then sanded and polished to perfection.
Some of the more contemporary versions include
channel setting. The best of Native American turquoise
silver jewelry still stands as a cultural expression
of a proud people with a remarkable heritage,
shown through the magnificence of their craftsmanship
and imagination.
In addition to shell,
the contemporary stylists of turquoise jewelry
have also spun off tradition by combining a variety
of other inlays, including lapis lazuli, purple
sugilite, malachite, jet and coral. They also
employ different types of shell, such as mother-of-pearl,
spiny oyster, pink shell, white shell, melon shell
and red abalone.
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