| The Silver Mesa Gallery | ||||||||||
| Navajo Conches |
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| Traditional concho styles, inspired by primitive Navajo silverwork, feature our refined center embossments, repoussè and small design stamps. | ||||||||||
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This handsome buckle began as a flat sheet of silver. The starting point
for the design is the center embossment. |
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The rest
of the design is made with seven stamps. Seated at his anvil, our silversmith
positions a stamp on the silver, strikes it with a
hammer, and moves to the next point. He repeats the
process at least 70 times to form the design on this buckle.
With the design complete, he domes the silver buckle shape, then solders the "bezel" in the center, circling it with a sterling silver rope.. The pure silver bezel is the shape and size of the turquoise stone it will hold. The stone is set into the "cup" formed by the bezel, and the bezel is pushed firmly against the stone with a burnishing tool. The finished buckle is polished to perfection, and then it's ready to be worn with pride.
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