Description

This sterling silver cluster ring has sixteen handcut tear drop shape turquoise stones that surround one large turquoise stone.

It measures approximately 1 3/8″ long by 7/8″ wide. Ring size 7.5 (see ring size chart)

Made by Navajo artisan Rosemary Tom Nez.

Only 1 piece availabe.

The Navajo Nation is one of the largest Southwest Native American tribes and is world-renown for their silver and turquoise jewellery. Navajo Indian jewellery is often characterised by chunky stones set in simple sterling silver bezels. The most popular stone among Navajo Indian artists is turquoise.

To the Navajo tribe, the colour turquoise represents happiness, luck, and health and carries religious significance. However, other gemstones like spiny oyster and coral are also featured in Navajo Indian jewellery.

Some Navajo Indian jewellery is purely sterling silver without stones. These pieces are generally hand-stamped or sandcast, although the Hopi Indian influence is evident in pieces that use the overlay technique to add depth. Some artists use oxidised silver to accent a design by amplifying depth while others brush their pieces to give them a vintage look.

Silver-smithing was first introduced to the Navajos by the Spaniards in the seventeenth century. The varied styles of some of the most prominent Navajo Indian jewellery artists reflect the mastery of techniques refined over hundreds of years and the influence of neighbouring cultures.