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Navajo Pearls: 

When the Europeans arrived, they brought a number of new elements with them including copper, silver, and glass. Navajo Pearls are made of sterling silver and every individual one is handmade from cutting all the way through to stringing. No two beads are alike and the time-intensive process is what makes Navajo Pearls so special and so expensive.

Making the beads is a time-consuming process. Each bead begins with silver that has to be melted, rolled and cut. Holes are punched, rounded, and then the beads are sanded and polished, all by hand. The heavy gauge silver used in these collectible beads gives these finished strands a nice weight and a substantial feeling. Machine-made beads will have a perfect uniformity that will help you distinguish between genuine handmade silver beads and fashion jewelry beads.

Sonoran Gold Turquoise is mined in Sonora, Mexico near the city of Cananea. The mine is located at the Campitos Mountain. The local economy relies heavily on the large copper mines in the area and turquoise has long been a by-product of these mines.

Sonoran Gold Turquoise is a new finding from the Sonora area of Mexico. Just like Campitos, there is an unusual way that it is mined. Most turquoise is cut from veins that interlace through host stones. In contrast, Sonoran Turquoise actually forms inside clay deposits as individual nuggets. It features a bright green color with splotches of blue and gold. It is not uncommon to find specs of pyrite in the stone.