ABOUT THE ARTIST:

Navajo metalsmith Calvin Belin is a 52 year old man who has been making jewelry since he was 12 & like most Navajo children, they are raised in a household of other jeweler's, who are mainly their parents,grandparents,sibling's,etc..He worked under his father who had the young Calvin,making bezels for his jewelry.. He lives in the heart of the Navajo Reservation in the town of Crownpoint,NM. Known for keeping it traditional, so you're guaranteed an undeniable well made Navajo piece in everything he makes.

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THE RING:

Dominating the spotlight is this INCREDIBLE linear cut of some of the most gorgeous colored Lapis! Beautifully domed & beveled with an impeccable clean smooth finishing, it's obvious that it was cut by a highly skilled professional lapidarist who definitely knows what they're doing in order for the stone to stand it's ground and take center stage! I always say,it's not always the workmanship that makes a piece stand out, but many times it's the stone..It has a linear/trapezoidal shape that has flat tips on both ends & is perfectly & precisely cut.

Calvin used it's shape to then dictate the workmanship that wondrously surrounds the stone. Following the stones shape are beaded garlands of sterling that lay around the stones body, while on the perimeter Calvin decided on traditional Navajo-hand chiseled saw work . At the top (Or bottom, depending on which way you have it turned!) are 5 button/star little conchos that are made by melting the sterling into beads & then stamping the design into them..

*If you zoom in on the last photos, you'll see I have 2 more rings by Calvin that also have these incredibly shaped cuts of Lapis in my “RING” listings (They both come in different ring sizes *I also have turquoise rings & cuffs by him as well! (TO VIEW: Click on the “Rings & Bracelets” categories)