| Dear Paula, I
love the Marie Yazzie beads I just received !  Navajo
Sterling Silver Stamped Beads by Navajo Marie Yazzie I
would like to get another stamped set, this time just a little bit shorter and
perhaps lighter weight for summer…but I'm undecided as to whether to get
graduated or not - do you remember the other pair I got in January? Between those
and the Marie Yazzie beads I just received, I want to add one more set - now which
do you recommend? Cynthia Hi
Cynthia, The beads that you just received are nice
heavy beads with deep stamping. The ones you bought
in January were plain (not stamped) and great for using with pendants. 
Native
American Sterling Silver Beads by Navajo Lily Yazzie
So now,
after talking with you on the phone, it sounds like you want a set that you can
wear with tank tops and V neck tees kind of as a dress down/dress up statement.
I can relate !! Love it !! To give you the very best
advice, please read the entire article below which you have inspired me to write?then
look for my answer to your specific question after the end of the article. - Paula
Navajo
Pearls Everything You Need to
Know About Sterling Silver Native American Beads ©
2010 Horsekeeping LLC ©
Copyright Information Sterling Silver Navajo bead
necklaces are an old tradition with Navajo silversmiths. Besides being used alone
as necklaces or necklaces with pendants, sterling silver beads are an integral
part of squash blossom necklaces. 
Native
American Squash Blossom Necklace
Authentic Native American
sterling silver beads are getting more difficult to find as they are very labor
intensive to make (you’ll see what I mean after you learn the process below).
There are many sterling silver bead necklaces available but if you want Native
American handmade, then it helps to know more about them so you know what you
are getting. Bench
made Beads vs Hand Made Beads © 2010 Horsekeeping
©
Copyright Information Handmade (hand made) beads
are entirely hand crafted: cutting, stamping, dapping, drilling, soldering, filing,
polishing, stringing is all done by hand. Hand made beads are very labor intensive,
therefore much more expensive than bench made beads. Also, when taking the time
to make beads by hand, Navajo silversmiths generally use heavy gauge sterling
silver, which also adds to the price. Handmade Native American beads are the most
cherished and desired by customers. Because each bead is made individually, there
might be slight variations from bead to bead. 
Handmade
Navajo Sterling Silver Beads 
Navajo
Sterling Silver Benchmade Beads Bench made Beads (also known
as Bench Beads) usually refer to beads that are partially manufactured and partially
hand made. Usually the silversmith starts with some machine cut pieces, which
are then soldered and strung by hand. Graduated
Beads vs All One Size © 2010 Horsekeeping ©
Copyright Information Graduated beads are available
in lengths from 16” to 28” and usually consist of 5 sizes of beads.
There is only one of the largest beads at the center and the others graduate from
the center toward the ends. The bead sizes might range from approximately 22 mm
(7/8”) in diameter for the large center bead 13 mm (1/2”) at the ends
or something similar. 
Handmade
Sterling Silver Graduated Navajo Beads by Marie Yazzie Beads
that are all one size are uniform throughout the necklace and are commonly available
in 7 mm to 12 mm diameter - although beads outside that range are also available.
When they are about 8-10 mm and round, they really look like “pearls”
if you ask me. 
Sterling
Silver Navajo Pearls by Larry Pinto Bead
Shape and Style 
Round
Sterling Silver Navajo Pearls Round - The basic shape
of a sterling silver bead is round. 
Sterling
Silver Navajo Seed Bead Seed -
The seed bead is a round bead that has been squashed so it is shorter than it
is wide and has a more defined seam, which makes it look something like a seed. 
Navajo
Pearls and Melon Beads by Virginia Tso
Melon Beads
were originally known as the melon seed bead - a unique elongated shape.
Navajo
Sterling Silver Barrel Beads by Susie Lee
Barrel Beads
are long, straight, smooth cylinders. Plain Beads
have a smooth surface (see Round Beads above). 
Stamped
Beads by Navajo Lily Yazzie Stamped beads have a stamped
pattern. It can be deep and definite or shallow and subtler. 
Fluted Sterling Silver Beads by Calvin Largo, Navajo
Fluted
beads (also called embossed) have a ridged surface pattern. 
Antiqued
Sterling Silver Beads by Virginia Tso, Navajo
New beads
are shiny and polished and if kept buffed, they will retain their shiny surface.
If left unpolished, they will develop a patina. Antiqued
beads are those that have been treated so that they have a darkened appearance
of patina. How Navajo Pearls are
Made The Navajo silversmith that makes beads has
two specialized hand tools. One is a dapping block that has concave half domes
of various sizes in it. The other is a set of correspondingly sized dapping punches,
which have ball ends. Each bead starts out as two
flat discs of sterling silver of a specific size. Each disc is domed one at a
time by placing the disc over an appropriately sized cavity and dapping it with
the punch until the flat disc becomes domed. Each half-bead is filed so that it
will fit evenly with the other half-bead. A hole is drilled in the top of each
dome. The burr from the drilling is filed off. Narrow strips of silver solder
are cut and placed between the halves and with ample flux the two pieces are soldered
together. The edge is filed and the bead is polished. OK,
one plain smooth bead has been made ! Variations on
the process are needed if the bead is to be stamped or fluted. If
a bead is going to have a stamped design on it, the stamping usually occurs before
dapping which is why the stamping on some beads might be a little bit deeper or
shallower among beads. Remember - handmade. If a bead
is going to be fluted (sometimes called embossed), the silversmith uses fluted
dies that fit into the dapping block as well as corresponding fluted punches.
Fluted beads require larger discs of sterling silver to make a corresponding smooth
bead of the same size. That’s because the fluting or “pleats” use
up a good amount of material. Most Navajo Pearls are
strung on foxtail cord, which is a woven silver cord that can be sterling silver,
nickel or other metals. A foxtail cord or chain is more like a cable, its strength
and durability comes from weaving many small strands. Weight
of the beads The final weight of a necklace
starts with the gauge of the sterling silver sheet that is used to make the discs.
Weight is directly related to price. Two similar looking 18” necklaces, for
example, one weighing 20 grams and one weighing 50 grams will vary greatly in
price, the latter probably costing 3 times the former. Weight
also affects drape. A heavier necklace hangs with a better shape than a lighter
one. And heavier beads are more durable, a characteristic to consider if you are
going to use the beads with large pendants. A necklace made with heavier beads
will stand up to the job better than a lightweight one. Weight
is a personal preference though and you might want various weights for various
uses. A very tiny woman would not want to wear a large, heavy necklace or it would
be a burden rather than a joy. An average sized woman, however, can comfortably
wear any sterling silver necklace in our store and most women have indicated to
me, “the heavier the better”. Length
of beads Most women wear a choker size
16-19”. A choker is a necklace that fits comfortably around the neck and
is perfect for peeking out from underneath an open collared shirt or displayed
openly when wearing a tank top, a V-neck tee shirt or halter top.
Sterling
Silver Navajo Pearls with Pendant Chokers are also ideal
for use with pendants. Pendants that work with sterling silver beads include those
with a Shepherd’s Hook or a large open bail. 
Shepherd's Hook on Native American Pendant
Large Bail on a Native American Pendant
Silver bead necklaces
in the 19-22 inch range are great for wearing over a collared shirt, a sweater
or a turtleneck ? the added length gives the space need for over-the-clothing
use. Longer necklaces, those up to 28 inches in length
can be used alone or in combination with fetish, heishi or squash blossom necklaces.
So,
now Cynthia, to answer your question specifically: You
have one set of plain 18” beads (all-one-size) that are ideal for use alone
as the classic “Navajo Pearls” or with a pendant. You
have one set of 19 ½” deeply stamped ornate beads that you could use
over a sweater or collared shirt and could easily be stand-alone or could be used
with a simple pendant. If I were in your position,
I’d either add a shorter stamped graduated or all-one-size stamped bead necklace
to wear as a stand-alone choker. Depending on your size, that would probably be
in the 16-19 inches range. Remember, if you choose
a graduated necklace, it would difficult if not impossible to use a pendant with
it since the center bead is the biggest and would make it difficult to place a
pendant in a balanced position. The very first sterling
silver necklace I purchased was a 17” stamped graduated choker and it is
still one of my favorite “go-to” necklaces. Have
fun browsing and choosing and let me know if I can provide any other information
about Navajo Pearls, one of my first jewelry passions.  ©
2010 Horsekeeping LLC ©
Copyright Information | 
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