Navajo white buffalo turquoise and sterling ring. Quality center stone surrounded by twisted rope border and palmettas. Maker's mark "Robert Chakey" and stamped "sterling." Adjustable size.
In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in high-quality Native American Jewelry. Whether it’s a vintage squash blossom necklace or a contemporary artisan bracelet, your jewelry could be increasing in value! This doesn’t mean you run out and pawn your grandma’s ring in hopes of getting rich. The age and condition of the piece, the quality of the stone, as well as the hallmark or makers mark dictate the value and desirability. While this is true with nearly all Native American Jewelry, there is one stone on the market that is becoming ever-more desirable due mostly to its rarity. White Buffalo Turquoise. White Buffalo Stone, commonly called White Buffalo Turquoise, is from a single mine in Nevada. It's known for its distinct beauty and purity. While similar to turquoise in its structure and formation, its stunning white and black color is due to the lack of heavy metals like copper, iron and zinc, which are responsible for the characteristic blues, greens and yellows found in turquoise.
With only a single mine in existence the value continues to increase as the resources are depleted. Due to its desirability and limited availability, consumers must keep an eye out for misrepresentations. The limited availability of the stone also means that high-quality pieces are hard to come by. A desirable piece of White Buffalo is hard, takes a nice polish and contains a black matrix of chert found in various patterns throughout the piece. Lesser quality stone will contain a higher volume of brown quartz. This is seen as an undesirable characteristic. Unique patterns such as spiderwebbing are a rarity and command a higher value. Quality silversmithing along with a prominent and well-known maker will only increase the value of White Buffalo pieces.
Cisco’s takes pride in sourcing only the finest examples of White Buffalo Turquoise jewelry. Quality pieces are hard to come by and sell fast.
PERIOD: Contemporary
ORIGIN: Southwest - Navajo, Native American
SIZE: Size 8 adjustable; stone 1"
