BIL 343 Short strand Navajo Pearls by Rose Martin - 17"

These some of the shortest Navajo Pearls that artist Rose Martin creates. Solid sterling silver with dark grey oxidation giving the saucer beads dimension. Measuring 17" with a 2" extension.The largest saucer bead is 25 mm and they taper down to 13 mm saucer bead. A unique and perfectly weighted necklace that is sure to make a statement wherever you go! ROSE MARTIN NAVAJO PEARLS- LARGE SAUCER BEADS Navajo Pearls are traditionally made sterling silver beads. Silver beads are a traditional art form for Diné silversmiths, and the beads have as many expressions as there are artisans.... Making the beads is a time-consuming process. Each bead begins with silver that has to be melted, rolled and cut. 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 of 925 purity. 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 and fire scale Oxidized silver (black coloring in the silver) is a process that many jewelers use to give sterling silver a black patina. It gives the jewelry an antique or tarnished look. The process consists of taking clean sterling silver and using a chemical (liver of sulphur) to treat it to speed up the tarnishing effect.