**SALE FOR ONE NECKLACE-PENDANTS SHOWN IN PHOTOS 5 & 6 WILL BE IN A SEPARATE LISTING**

ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Kind,hard working, respectful and a woman of integrity, Michelle is one of those people that when you meet her, you immediately connect as if you've known her a lifetime. Born in Gallup, NM in 1971 into a family of silversmiths, with a few being some well known artisans that include Lee and Raymond Yazzie & Mary Marie Lincoln (Marie Yazzie).. It was not only the latter (Mary) who inspired & taught the young 13 year old Michelle, but she also learned from her Grandmother Elsie Yazzie and her aunts, Shirley Johnson & Lola Daw. These women are the ones who took Michelle under their wing & gave Michelle her start, by teaching her the ropes in knowing how to cut the sterling, dome and file, solder, string and then buff. She's come along way since then & is now recognized in the industry at being one of the best & is now considered to be at a " "MASTER " level when it comes to her perfectly made-authentic Navajo Pearl necklaces.

************************

ABOUT AUTHENTIC NAVAJO PEARLS:

On today's market there are oxidized sterling beaded necklaces that people call “Navajo Pearls” & are nothing but a commercial-machine made oxidized sterling bead & then there are ones that are made entirely by the hands of Navajo silversmiths. Michelle's are the latter & what is called "AUTHENTIC" Navajo "Pearls"..

"Real" Navajo Pearls take on an extremely labor intensive lengthy process & are much more valuable because of the time that goes into making them & are 'artisan made' rather than by machine.. Once you see the 'real deal' over & over,you will be able to tell with time,what's machine made & what's artisan made. Also the price can be a clue as to what's hand made & what's not!

************************

DESCRIPTION:

Navajo Pearl necklaces are a "must have" to any southwestern jewelry collection & one that pairs well, especially with jewelry with this same finishing. These make a great 'go-to' necklace since you can wear them with anything, anytime, anywhere! Made in a 9.5 mm average size beads, these length's look great on their own & will work with pendants that have a Shepherds Hook' connection OR a bale.. With the latter, you just have to be sure that the bale has an large enough opening (At least a 11 mm opening) to put a 9.5 mm bead through.

All these length's will work with a small to a medium sized pendant, but the 22" can work with a little larger pendant,since you want to drop larger sized pendants away from the neckline. Also I want to say, you can always add an extender to any one of these to make the necklaces longer!

FYI:

**All Navajo Pearl beads are hollow, with some being light in weight, while others are heavy. The weight of a Navajo Pearl necklace is determined by the gauge of sterling that the artist chose to work with & then of course how big the bead is & the length (More beads)** These however, do have some weight because of the gauge she used.

**In the last photo is a 26.5" necklace by Michelle that can be found under my "NAVAJO PEARL' category!**