Navajo Overlay Sterling Silver Kingman Turquoise Bracelet

Paula says -

"Photos cannot do justice to this magnificent richly colored Kingman turquoise stone from Arizona. It is set in a smooth bezel and framed beautifully by the traditional sterling silver sandcast design. This is quite a large bracelet and a real treasure!"

Harrison Bitsui - Navajo Sterling Silver and Turquoise Sandcast Bracelet
NBT414 $495 plus s/h

Kingman Turquoise

The Kingman Mine in Mohave County, Arizona, yielded bright blue stones with white and black matrix. This mine is considered by many to have produced the best turquoise in North America. The terms "Kingman" and "high blue" refer to high quality hard turquoise like that of the Kingman mine. Old authentic natural Kingman turquoise is extremely rare.

What does Sand Cast mean?

Sand cast items are Indian Hand Made items using a procedure developed by the Navajo silversmiths in the mid 1800s. It is a labor-intensive process that involves many steps.

Using Tuff Stone, a porous rock from volcanic ash, Tufa Stone, a porous limestone that forms near hot springs, or Sandstone, a harder stone, the artist carves the design of the item being cast. Another flat stone is placed against the carved half of the mold. The halves are fastened together and a sprue hole is carved into one end. Molten silver is poured into the mold using the sprue hole. Once the silver cools, the item is taken out and finished. Bracelets are poured flat and then shaped.

Due to the porous nature of Tuff or Sand Stone, sandcast items will have character marks and imperfections such as small pits. That is the nature of Sand Casting and Indian Hand Made.