ANA 1297- Small pendant with Golden Hills turquoise by Thomas Francisco

Small handcrafted Navajo pendant by artist Thomas Francisco. Beautiful Golden Hills turquoise is used in this piece. Measuring 1-1/4" in total length with a triangular stone measuring 5/8" x 3/4". The details in the silver work that surround the stone are subtle but perfect for this stone. The lavender coloring of the turquoise is what makes this stone so popular. Small pendant by Navajo artist Thomas Francisco GOLDEN HILLS TURQUOISE: In the Russian hills of Kazakhstan sits the GOLDEN HILLS mine. The Turquoise is only mined in the winter months during the freezing cold and snow as rains flood the mine during the summer. The location of the mine is remote and difficult to bring equipment in and out of. It is the only Turquoise known to have the unique coloring of bright blue with a Lavender undertone. Sterling silver Is an alloy of silver containing 92.5% by weight of silver and 7.5% by weight of other metals, usually copper. The sterling silver standard has a minimum millesimal fineness of 925. SILVER, for example 99.9% pure silver, is relatively soft, so silver is usually alloyed with copper to increase its hardness and strength. Sterling silver is prone to tarnishing, and elements other than copper can be used in alloys to reduce tarnishing, as well as casting porosity and fire scale. Such elements include germanium, zinc, platinum, silicon, and boron. Recent examples of alloys using these metals include argentium, sterlium, sterilite and silvadium. _____________________________________________________________________