Answer Library

Question 1

What is a squash blossom necklace?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

A squash blossom necklace is a traditional Navajo (Diné) silver necklace built from round silver beads, flared "squash blossom" beads, and a crescent-shaped pendant called a naja at the center. Developed by Navajo silversmiths in the late 1800s, it is one of the most iconic forms of Southwestern jewelry.

Question 2

What is the Indian Arts and Crafts Act?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 is a U.S. federal truth-in-advertising law. It makes it illegal to sell any art or craft in a way that falsely suggests it was made by a Native American, an enrolled tribal member, or a particular tribe. It protects both Native artisans and buyers from imitations sold as the real thing.

Question 3

What does .925 mean on silver jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

A ".925" or "sterling" stamp means the piece is sterling silver — an alloy of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper. The small amount of added metal makes the silver hard enough to wear, while the 92.5% standard guarantees a high silver content. It is a metal mark, separate from the artist's hallmark.

Question 4

What is a naja?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

A naja is a crescent-shaped pendant, most often seen hanging at the center of a Navajo squash blossom necklace. The crescent is an ancient protective symbol used across many cultures, and it reached Navajo silversmiths through Spanish-Mexican bridle ornaments — themselves descended from Moorish design.

Question 5

What is heishi jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Heishi (pronounced "hee-shee") is jewelry made from small, hand-cut and hand-rolled beads of shell or stone strung into smooth, fluid strands. The word comes from a Pueblo term for shell, and the technique is among the oldest forms of jewelry-making in the American Southwest, strongly associated with Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pueblo.

Question 6

What is Zuni inlay?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Zuni inlay is a lapidary technique in which small, precisely cut stones and shell are fitted tightly together within silver to form patterns or figures. It is a signature of Zuni Pueblo jewelry, which is known for showcasing masterful stonework rather than the bold silver of Navajo pieces.

Question 7

Why is turquoise jewelry so expensive?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Turquoise jewelry is expensive for three main reasons: natural, gem-grade turquoise is genuinely rare, many of the most famous American mines have closed, and authentic pieces are hand-made by skilled artisans. Price reflects the scarcity of the stone, its mine of origin and quality, and the labor and reputation behind the work.

Question 8

How can you tell if turquoise is real?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Real turquoise is distinguished from imitation by weight, temperature, and hardness — natural stone is dense, cool to the touch, and resists scratching, while dyed howlite or plastic feels light and warm. The most reliable proof, however, is a seller who discloses the stone's mine, treatment, and maker in writing.

Question 9

What is turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Turquoise is a naturally occurring copper-aluminum phosphate mineral, prized for thousands of years for its sky-blue to green color. It forms in arid regions where mineral-rich water seeps through rock, and the brown or black veining many stones carry, called matrix, is the surrounding host rock left within the gem.

Question 10

What is the difference between natural and stabilized turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Natural turquoise is cut and polished exactly as it came from the ground, with no additives; stabilized turquoise is softer natural stone infused with clear resin to harden it for cutting and wear. Both are real turquoise — the difference is treatment, rarity, and price, which is why disclosure matters.

Question 11

What is Kingman turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Kingman turquoise is stone from the Mineral Park mine near Kingman, Arizona — one of the oldest and largest turquoise sources in the United States, worked since pre-Columbian times. Kingman is known for bright, high-blue color, often with a black or silvery pyrite matrix, and it remains in active production today.

Question 12

What is Sonora Gold turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Sonora Gold turquoise is mined in Sonora, Mexico, just south of Arizona, and is prized for a striking contrast: a blue-green to green stone laced with a warm, golden-brown pyrite matrix. Often found as nuggets in clay rather than in veins, it is sometimes called Sonoran Gold turquoise.

Question 13

What is Royston turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Royston turquoise comes from the Royston mining district near Tonopah, Nevada, and is famous for its range of color within a single stone — deep blue blending into rich green — set against a heavy golden-brown matrix. One of Nevada's classic mines, Royston still produces sought-after stone today.

Question 14

What is Golden Hills turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Golden Hills turquoise comes from the Altyn-Tyube mine in Kazakhstan, whose name translates as “golden hill.” A relatively recent arrival to the market, it is prized for a soft periwinkle-blue body — often leaning lavender — set against a dramatic reddish-brown to chocolate matrix, and for being unusually hard and pure.

Question 15

What is Number 8 turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Number 8 turquoise comes from the Number 8 mine in Eureka County, Nevada, celebrated for one of the most beautiful spiderweb matrices in all of turquoise — bold golden-brown to black webbing over blue-green stone. The main deposit was depleted by the early 1970s, so today the stone is rare collector's material.

Question 16

What is Sleeping Beauty turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Sleeping Beauty turquoise comes from a mine near Globe, Arizona, and is prized for the opposite of spiderweb: a clean, solid, light robin's-egg blue with little or no matrix. The mine stopped producing turquoise in 2012, so this pure, even-blue stone has grown steadily scarcer and more valuable.

Question 17

What is Morenci turquoise?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Morenci turquoise comes from southeastern Arizona and is known for a bright, high blue distinguished by an unusual matrix of pyrite — “fool's gold” — that glints silver rather than the usual brown or black. The original deposit now lies within an active copper mine, so genuine Morenci is old-stock and collectible.

Question 18

What is spiny oyster shell?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Spiny oyster is the brilliantly colored shell of the Spondylus, a spiny mollusk from the warm waters off the Americas. Its natural reds, oranges, purples, and whites — not dyes — have made it a favorite in Native American jewelry for centuries, where it complements the blue of turquoise.

Question 19

Is the coral in Native American jewelry real?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Coral in Native American jewelry may be natural Mediterranean red coral, but much of today's “coral” is dyed bamboo coral, reconstituted coral, or other treated material, because true red coral is now scarce and tightly regulated. The honest answer depends entirely on the seller's disclosure.

Question 20

What is mother of pearl?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Mother of pearl is the iridescent inner lining of certain mollusk shells — the same lustrous substance, called nacre, that forms a pearl. Naturally white with a rainbow shimmer, it has long been cut for inlay and beads in Native American jewelry, often paired with turquoise, jet, and coral.

Question 21

What is White Buffalo stone?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

White Buffalo is a white stone with a black matrix, mined near Tonopah, Nevada, and often sold as “white buffalo turquoise.” Despite the name, it is not turquoise — it contains no copper and is a calcium-and-magnesium mineral. Its bold black-on-white contrast has made it highly popular in silver jewelry.

Question 22

What is lapis lazuli?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Lapis lazuli is a deep-blue metamorphic rock valued as a gem for thousands of years. Its rich ultramarine color comes from the mineral lazurite, usually flecked with brassy gold pyrite and white calcite. Historically mined in Afghanistan, lapis is used in Southwestern jewelry as beads and inlay.

Question 23

What is gaspeite?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Gaspeite is a rare apple-green to lime-green mineral, a nickel carbonate often veined with brown host rock. Named for the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec where it was identified, most gem-quality gaspeite comes from Western Australia. Its vivid green makes it a distinctive accent in Southwestern silver jewelry.

Question 24

What is bumblebee jasper?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Bumblebee jasper is a vivid yellow, orange, and black banded stone from volcanic deposits in Indonesia. Despite the name, it is not a true jasper but a calcite-rich rock colored by sulfur and arsenic minerals. Its striking stripes have made it popular, though it should be sealed and handled with care.

Question 25

What kind of opal is used in Native American jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Opal in Native American jewelry ranges from natural Australian and Mexican opal to lab-created opal, depending on the piece. Natural precious opal shows a shifting “play of color,” while man-made opal offers that flash affordably and consistently. A reputable seller discloses which kind a piece contains.

Question 26

What is the black onyx in Native American jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Black onyx is a solid-black variety of chalcedony, a microcrystalline form of quartz. Most commercial black onyx is naturally pale agate that has been dyed and heat-treated to an even, glossy black — a long-accepted practice. In Southwestern jewelry it provides deep black contrast in inlay and against silver.

Question 27

What is charoite?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Charoite is a rare violet-to-purple gemstone found in only one place on earth: the Chara River region of Siberia, Russia. Its swirling lavender, purple, and white patterns and pearly, fibrous sheen are unmistakable. A relatively recent discovery, charoite is used in Southwestern jewelry as a vivid purple accent.

Question 28

What makes Navajo jewelry distinctive?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Navajo (Diné) jewelry is distinguished by its presence: substantial-gauge sterling silver, generous turquoise cabochons in hand-cut bezels, and bold stampwork. Its signature forms — the squash blossom necklace, the concho belt, and the heavy cluster cuff — make Navajo silverwork the most recognizable and influential tradition in Southwestern Native American jewelry.

Question 29

What makes Zuni jewelry distinctive?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Zuni (A:shiwi) jewelry is distinguished by its lapidary mastery: turquoise, coral, jet, and shell cut with a watchmaker's precision and fitted into needlepoint, petit point, cluster, and inlay designs. Where Navajo work celebrates bold silver, Zuni work celebrates the stone, building jewel-like density from many small, perfectly matched pieces.

Question 30

What is Hopi overlay jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Hopi overlay jewelry is made by soldering two sheets of sterling silver together, then sawing a design through the top layer to reveal a darkened, textured layer beneath. The result is crisp, graphic contrast between bright silver and deep shadow — a stoneless, deeply symbolic style unique to Hopi silversmiths.

Question 31

What is Santo Domingo (Kewa) jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Santo Domingo (Kewa) jewelry is built bead by bead, most famously as heishi — tiny hand-rolled disc beads ground from shell, turquoise, coral, and jet into strands of remarkable smoothness. Kewa artisans are also celebrated for mosaic inlay, including the iconic thunderbird, in one of the oldest unbroken jewelry traditions in North America.

Question 32

How do I measure my ring size?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

To measure your ring size at home, wrap a strip of paper or string around the base of your finger, mark where it overlaps, and measure that length in millimeters against a ring-size chart. For the best fit, measure at the end of the day, when fingers are at their largest.

Question 33

How do I measure for a cuff bracelet?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

To size a Native American cuff bracelet, measure the circumference of your wrist with a flexible tape, then subtract the width of the cuff's opening, or gap. The remaining measurement — typically your wrist size minus about one inch — is the cuff's inner circumference, the figure that determines a correct fit.

Question 34

How should I store silver jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Store silver jewelry in a cool, dry place away from air and humidity, ideally in an anti-tarnish pouch or a sealed bag with an anti-tarnish strip. Keep pieces separate so they do not scratch one another, and store turquoise and other stones away from direct heat and sunlight to protect their color.

Question 35

How do I clean tarnished silver jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

To clean tarnished sterling silver, gently rub the metal with a soft polishing cloth made for silver, working along the surface rather than in circles. Avoid dips and abrasives on Native American pieces, since they can strip the intentional dark oxidation in the recesses and damage turquoise or other porous stones.

Question 36

How do I care for turquoise jewelry?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

Turquoise is a soft, porous stone, so protect it by keeping it away from water, perfume, lotion, household chemicals, and prolonged sunlight, all of which can discolor or dry it. Clean it only with a soft, dry or barely damp cloth, never an ultrasonic cleaner, and put jewelry on last when dressing.

Question 37

What is a concho belt?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

A concho belt is a Southwestern belt built from a row of decorative silver discs — conchos — mounted along a leather strap, usually finished with a matching buckle. Developed by Navajo silversmiths in the 1800s, it is one of the most iconic forms of Native American jewelry and a lasting status piece.

Question 38

What is a bolo tie?

The Humiovi · Accepted Answer

A bolo tie is a necktie made from a braided leather cord fastened with a decorative slide, finished at the ends with metal tips called aiguillettes. A Southwestern icon often crafted in silver and turquoise by Native American artisans, it is the official state neckwear of Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.