Round Navajo Inlay Pendant

This sterling silver pendant has a rainbow of beautiful stones.  It has orange, red, and purple spiny oyster shell, as well as gaspeite, turquoise and jet.  It is channel inlay, with each stone cut exactly to fit like a perfect tight puzzle.

Size: 1.25" H x .8125" W

Channel inlay jewelry is a process used extensively by Native American jewelers, particularly those in Zuni Pueblo.  Many other talented jewelers from other tribes in the Southwest also make channel inlay jewelry.  The metal channel, usually silver, is soldered onto the back to create the design.  Afterward, the stones are cut to fit into each section.  It is an exacting process which shows in the beauty of the work of the finished piece(s).