Navajo Sterling Silver Kingman Turquoise French Hook Earrings - Will Denetdale (#265)
$250.00
Artist: Will Denetdale
2" x 7/8"
Will Denetdale works hard to impress his ardent admirers, and his work shows it. These earrings have such excellent silverwork and finish you’d think a machine did them. Well, I hate to burst that bubble, but they are 100% hand-fabricated, and with great precision. At Twin Rocks his silverwork is never downplayed with low-quality material. Because of Will's commitment to quality, we often choose him to set our natural gem-grade turquoise. These stones come from the Kingman mine in Arizona, which is well known for excellent veins of very good turquoise. The color of this particular selection is a pastel light blue that is difficult to find in a natural state. Wow, what an excellent pair of earrings for that special someone.
Kingman Turquoise
Kingman Turquoise comes from a large open-pit copper mine in the Mineral Park Mining District, northwest of Kingman, Arizona and was one of the largest turquoise mines in this country. The area lies in high desert country at an elevation of 3,345 feet and is surrounded by three mountain ranges. The mining district around Kingman, Arizona has always been a large producer of turquoise, at one time the world's largest. First mined by Indians, this area was home to the most extensive prehistoric workings found in Arizona.
The modern production of turquoise dates back to the early 1880’s when James Haas rediscovered these ancient Kingman area mines. Much of the turquoise occurred as seams, masses and veins. The color of natural Kingman turquoise can range from light blue to very dark blue and sometimes tints of green. The matrix is from white, light brown to black and frequently flecked with pyrite and times quartz. The mine became famous for its rounded, bright blue nuggets with black matrix. Few turquoise mines produced nuggets, especially of this quality. In its high-grade form it has always been considered among the top quality American turquoise. With so many thousands of pounds of good quality turquoise produced in the Kingman area over the last one hundred years it is hard to believe that today very little high-grade Kingman turquoise is available.
Other names for Kingman turquoise: Ithaca Peak, The Wall, Tiffany, Courtland, Az., Gleeson
Most desirable: Deep Blue with molybdenum pyrite; Real blue with pyrite; Bird's eye; Water Web; Nuggets
About the artist:
Will Denetdale - Navajo Jewelry:
One of the most talented Navajo gold and silversmiths currently producing jewelry, Will Denetdale is making an indelible mark in the world of Native American art. His name is becoming famous in his trade; his art a standard by which other pieces may be judged. Will's success as an artist is proportionate to his devotion, and Will Denetdale lives to make jewelry.
Related legends:
Silversmith Work
When and how the Navajo acquired the art of working metals is unknown but there are reasons for supposing that it was introduced among them, or at least more developed and improved upon by them, since the time they have occupied their present country?