Authentic Native American Jewelry
Wilford Begay, Navajo - Sterling Silver
Miniature Wedding Vase
HK Item #HS65

About Wilford Begay

Wilford Begay is from the high desert area of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. His great-great-grandfather was an accomplished silversmith, as is his father. Wilford made his first pair of silver earrings when he was twelve years old, and worked off and on in the jewelry business throughout high school and college. After earning his Silversmithing Certificate, Wilford worked for the Navajo Police in Shiprock, New Mexico, and Chinle, Arizona for four years before going into silversmithing full time. He has won three first place awards in the Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonials. Wilford signs his work with a stamped arrowhead.

What is a Wedding Vase?

The Native American wedding vase is used to sanctify a marriage. The two spouts represent the separate lives of the bride and groom. The handle between them represents the joining of the husband and wife on their wedding day. Prior to the wedding, the vase is filled with a liquid that represents the union of the bride and groom. It could be holy water, tea, or brew created by a medicine man. On the wedding day, the groom offers the vase to his wife, and she takes a sip from it. The bride then turns the vase and offers it to the groom so that he can sip out of it. This ceremony is equivalent to the exchanging of wedding bands. In some tribes, if the bride and groom are able to both sip out of the vase at the same time without spilling any liquid, they are destined for a long and happy life together.

About Silver

100% solid silver won't tarnish but it is too soft to use for making jewelry - it could easily be scratched, dented and bent. Sterling silver has a small amount of one or more other metals usually copper, added to the silver. To be called sterling silver, the alloy must contain at least 92.5% pure silver. Sterling silver alloy is harder than pure silver but the added metals also can cause discoloration or tarnish.

Read more about silver.

ABOUT TURQUOISE

Turquoise is associated with the sky, and bringing sky energy to earth. It is known as a master healer stone as it is believed to help speed the healing process. It is also thought that turquoise can help promote honest and clear communication from the heart.
Turquoise comes in all shades of blue, to blue-green and it is the natural variations in turquoise that make it appealing. The color of turquoise in American Indian jewelry ranges from brownish green to bright blue. Found in veins sandwiched in between layers of mother rock, turquoise can show some of the influence of the mother rock in its matrix or veining. The matrix colors range from blue to golden brown to black and sometimes with golden flecks. Many people prefer turquoise with matrix over clear stones. Read more about stones.

Kingman Turquoise

The Kingman mine, located in Mohave County, Arizona, has been operated by the Colbaugh family since the 1970's. It is known for producing bright blue stones with white and black matrix, considered by many to be the best turquoise in North America. Old authentic natural Kingman turquoise is extremely rare.

In the 1950s S. A. "Chuck" Colbaugh developed a modern method for stabilizing the color and strength of turquoise. It is an expensive process that takes over 3 months to assure that the turquoise does not crack while being treated. Basically, the moisture is removed from the stone and replaced with an optically clear resin, the same type as used in jet fighter windows. The turquoise is then allowed to dry naturally for two to three months. Although other mines have turquoise stabilization facilities, those at the Kingman mine are widely regarded as the best.

Marty Colbaugh (Chuck Colbaugh's grandson) now runs the Kingman mine and continues the stabilizing tradition began by his grandfather. He says if natural turquoise is not treated, it can become oxidized with oils from the skin and change color. The products that Kingman uses for stabilizing turquoise are clear and no dyes are ever used so the natural turquoise color is preserved and no discoloration occurs.