Come To The Stagecoach For So Much More!
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As I promised in my last post, today I’m going to talk about one of the new collections of Native American jewelry from David Rosales. As many of you know, David creates some of the most incredible Native American jewelry and is the most popular line that we carry. Over the last decade or more we have moved our inlay jewelry to almost exclusively David’s. This is because of the amazing quality that he provides and his different collections. I would say that he is one of the most innovative Native American jewelry artists because he is always pushing his designs to be modern and elegant. He is constantly coming up with colors color combinations that we have never seen before. So let’s dive into his newest collection, Blue Sky.
The Blue Sky Collection is brand new for David Rosales. It’s one that he has been very excited about and asked us to try. He sent us some without us ever seeing it beforehand. When it arrived we really were blown away by its beauty. So much so that Susan, my mother, would like a piece for herself for Christmas.
Blue Sky features three different inlaid stones. These are lapis lazuli, denim lapis, and created opal. The lapis has a blue coloring that is much deeper than turquoise. This stone is mainly mined in the Middle East, though it does come from a few other countries. In contrast, denim lapis is much lighter and has a somewhat speckled texture to it. You can take a cue from its name as it resembles the look of denim clothing. Neither of these stones is new to Native American jewelry, though I have never seen them used together like this.
This collection also has lab-created opal, which helps brighten the dark lapis. Also known as cultured opal, this is genuine but it has been grown in a lab. There are several benefits of created opal over natural. For one, it is much more durable than natural opal. The natural stone is quite fragile and can be damaged from too much sunlight and extreme temperatures. Cultured is also more affordable and often prettier than all but the top grade of natural opal. It is fairly common in Native American jewelry and has been really popular for us. All in all, this really sets off these colors and draws lots of attention to these pieces.
Another unique feature of the Blue Sky Collection is that all of the stones are inlaid in a cobblestone fashion. As the name suggests, the stones are rounded and fit together in a way that resembles a cobblestone road. While inlay work is challenging enough as it is, this technique adds to the difficulty. It requires much more time to perfectly shape each stone in this way. Because of the increased difficulty, this technique is not terribly common in Native American jewelry and often demands a higher price. Only the most experienced Native American jewelry artists can do this sort of work so precisely, further demonstrating the talent level of David Rosales and his team.
So there you have it, David Rosales’ newest collection, Blue Sky. Because committing to a new collection does require a significant investment on our part, we decided to simply try this out before diving in head first. That being said, the reception has been very positive so far and I expect that we will get more Blue Sky in the future. It gives us a different look in our Native American jewelry and we all really love it. Of course, hearing your opinion helps us make these difficult decisions. So let us know in the comments down below your thoughts on the Blue Sky Collection. Is this something you would like to see more of?
You can see more of the Blue Sky Collection right Here.
Discover the rich history, striking beauty, and ancient origins of Egyptian turquoise, mined in the Sinai and treasured since the days of the Pharaohs.
Skylar Glandon
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