Red Mountain Turquoise Necklace with 14K Clasp [SOLD]

Cheryl Yestewa was born at Hopi and was raised in Phoenix. She fell in love with semi-precious stones at an early age. A self-taught jewelry artist, she has been shaping high quality stones for 20 years. To really understand Cheryl’s work, it is important to understand how difficult it is to work with high grade, natural, untreated stones. It requires patience and skill to shape and polish gem-quality turquoise. The evidence of Cheryl’s love for the stones is demonstrated in her award-winning jewelry. Her artwork is part of the permanent collections of the National Museum of the American Indian Washington, D. C. and the Heard Museum in Phoenix.

This 2-strand necklace is comprised of Red Mountain turquoise. The Red Mountain mine is in Nevada and is known for high-grade turquoise. There has been limited output from the mine, making the turquoise from Red Mountain quite rare. Cheryl Yestewa has painstakingly shaped and polished two strands of Red Mountain turquoise beads. At the center of each strand are three highly polished pieces of red coral. The strands are connected with a 14K gold clasp. Cheryl’s tiny hallmark CMY is located on the hook part of the clasp.

In 1948 Maria Martinez’s son, Popovi Da opened the Popovi Da Studio in San Ildefonso Pueblo. He and his wife Anita ran the gallery for decades. They featured and sold only the highest quality artwork. When they closed the gallery, this was part of the inventory that Anita kept for herself.

Condition: this Red Mountain Turquoise Necklace with 14K Clasp is in excellent condition

Provenance: From the collection of Anita Da, Maria Martinez’s daughter-in-law, passed through her granddaughter

Recommended Reading: Contemporary Southwestern Jewelry by Diana Pardue with the Heard Museum.