Heavy stamped large Royston turquoise pendant

NAVAJO HANDCRAFTED PENDANT

This one our most uniquely crafted pendants. The Navajo artist Rosita Calladitto created this piece ( stamped M & R Calladitto). Starting with heavy sterling silver she has used deep stamped details that surround the stone. This is a large pendant measuring 2" 1/2 in total length with a width of 1" 5/8. Over 17 pieces of silver are used to create the design of the pendant. She has also given the silver a brushed antique look which adds to the look. The large bail is designed to hold multiple strands of beads or nuggets. A great example of traditional Navajo craftsmanship. 

 Royston Turquoise : A district in Nevada consisting of three turquoise mines: Bunker Hill, Oscar Wehrend, and the main producer, The Royal Blue. Royston is known for its beautiful colors ranging from deep green to rich, light blues which are set off by a heavy brown matrix. The Royston mine is producing a little high-grade turquoise today, operated by the Ottison family. They process most of their material into finished cabs and allow very little rough to come onto the market. This controlled output has raised the price of this material considerably in recent years.

Artist: Rosita Calladitto (M&R CALLADITTO) hallmark / The husband & wife team is best known for traditional Navajo style jewelry using heavy Sterling Silver & turquoise with deeply stamped designs. They love working with turquoise and says that the stone make him more creative and skillful at the bench. Michael makes most of the decorative stamps he uses to make his jewelry by hand from the tempered steel of old car engines. Using old parts from piston rods to valve stems, he carefully cuts designs into the steel using tiny files and other tools to produce his personal stamps. Brought up on the reservation in the village of Pruitt, New Mexico and born to the Meadow People Clan, Michael is also part Apache. Raised primarily by his Grandparents, Michael draws inspiration from the same remote and wild places his grandmother, a well-respected natural healer, took him to when he was young.