Natural Pilot Mountain Turquoise Bracelet

The Pilot Mountain turquoise in this sterling silver bracelet includes small bits of pyrite. It is a beautiful dark teal color that was impossible to capture in the photos.  Handmade by Navajo jeweler Shirley Henry, it has a large stone in the center with eight smaller stones around the outside.  The smaller stones have a repousse star in between each one.  On each side of the stones are hand-stamped leaves.  The cuff is tufa cast. Stamped "SH" and "STERLING" inside. More about the process of tufa cast jewelry making below.

Size: 5.25" Long with 1" Opening

Tufa Jewelry: Tufa is a volcanic stone which can be as dense as chalk which has an organic texture. The first thing a jeweler does is examine a piece of tufa for any tiny fractures.  If it looks good, the tufa is cut in half and, if there is a design, it is carved into the tufa.   There is a pour hole carved into the top and several narrow vents carved into each side.  The two pieces are then bound tightly together and molten silver or gold is poured through the hole at the top.  If there are any microscopic cracks, the tufa explodes when the metal is poured in and the process has to begin again. Most of the time only one piece of jewelry can be made from each piece of tufa.