Inv# DMSTjfL1901

Guarantee:  Sterling silver hand-made bead & turquoise earrings by Diné [Navajo] silversmith Dorinda Mariano. 

Size: Large- total length 2.7” including ear wire

Summary Description: Sterling Silver ear wire suspends a large hand-formed sterling silver bead with hand-tooled designs.  This large silver bead suspends 6 individual strands of tiny hand-formed sterling silver beads, each strand terminated with a turquoise chip.

Materials: Sterling Silver ear wires; Sterling Silver beads strung on silver wire; turquoise chips

Detailed Dimensions

• Total length including earring wire: 2.7”

• Length of silver dangle without earring wire:  2.2”

• Size of hand-formed sterling silver beads:  large bead 0.5” diameter x 0.3” high, suspending 6 dangle strands, each consisting of 11-12 sterling silver beads  0.1” diameter [4mm] & terminating in a turquoise chip

Weight:  18.6 grams

Comments. Dorinda Mariano is a skilled silversmith who uses knowledge handed down by generations of her Diné ancestors.   Dorinda envisioned the unique design of these earrings.   Her dedication to using traditional hand-made processes includes hand-rolling & cutting sterling sheet silver, hand-forming the bead half-domes, hand-soldering the half-domes into full beads, hand-drilling the bead holes, & hand-finishing the silver.  Even more amazing, each of the large ½” diameter silver beads have a design that is hand-tooled by Dorinda on the top & bottom domes that form the silver bead!  [See photos]  Equally awe-inspiring are the 6 strands of very tiny [4mm] hand-formed silver beads that hang from the large silver bead—11 or 12 beads on each of the 6 strands, for a total of 66-72 tiny hand-formed beads on each earring! Take a moment to really think about the time, the challenge, & the skill required to create these delightful earrings ‘gifted’ us by Dorinda! Native Americans are not only the first occupants of America—they also are the first American artists as reflected in prehistoric dwellings, petroglyphs, pictographs, paintings, basketry, pottery, foot wear, and clothing. If you appreciate the beauty, skill & spirit of real Native American hand-made jewelry, you will be delighted with these unique Dorinda Mariano sterling silver bead earrings that reflect light & bounce with energy as you move— a “Dorinda original”! 
As a result of this challenging & intricate hand process, there of course are minor variations in size, shape & solder joints of the finished item.  [See photos]  But if you appreciate the skill & many hours of intricate work required for 1 pair of earrings, those small variations are NOT ‘imperfections’ but instead are indicators of real hand-made art and are part of the charm & attraction of such unique, authentic Native American jewelry—part of what gives us joy in wearing and owning real Native American hand-crafted items. 

The jewelry market is now flooded with fake “American Indian” silver jewelry that in fact originates in foreign countries and is either hand-made in ‘sweat shops’ or mass-produced by machines in factories.  Native American artists rely on sale of their unique art to support their families. So by purchasing Dorinda’s unique, hand-made jewelry you not only help support her family, but also ensure preservation of Dorinda’s unique artistic vision and skills so they endure for many more generations.