Chimney Butte Two Stone Pendant, Number 8 Turquoise, Navajo Sterling Silver
A Navajo pendant by Chimney Butte carrying two Number 8 turquoise cabochons, both with heavy brown matrix, on a deeply scalloped silver plate.
Specifications
- Metal: Sterling silver
- Artist: Chimney Butte (Navajo)
- Made: 2026
- Stone: Number 8 turquoise, cabochon
- Length with bail: 3.5 inches (8.9 cm)
- Pendant drop: 2.65 inches (6.7 cm)
- Width at the widest point: 2 inches (5.1 cm)
- Weight: 76 grams
- Bail opening: 17.75 mm
Hallmarks
- Chimney Butte, script maker's stamp
- Sterling
Both marks are struck on the back. The Chimney Butte stamp is the maker's mark; Sterling is the silver standard.
About the Piece
Two oval cabochons sit one above the other with two applied silver balls between them. Both stones are matrix heavy, more brown host rock than blue, with the turquoise coming through in irregular patches. Some collectors want clean blue; the ones who want Number 8 want exactly this.
The plate behind is left brushed and plain, which is unusual and it works. All the pattern is pushed out to the border, a scalloped edge with a fan stamp in every scallop and a second stamped ring inside it, so the stones sit in an open field rather than fighting decoration.
The bail is wide and plain, cut from heavy sheet.
The Number 8 mine in Nevada closed in the 1960s, so the stone only comes from old stock now. It is prized for heavy golden brown to black spiderweb matrix.
Chimney Butte is a Navajo (Dine) silversmith working out of New Mexico in a deliberately old style idiom: heavy gauge sterling, deep hand stamping, repousse, sandcast work, and good named mine turquoise. The mark is one of the most recognisable in contemporary Southwestern silver, which is part of why the work holds its value. Every piece is stamped Chimney Butte and Sterling on the back.
Styling
It hangs from a wide stamped bail that takes a heavy chain, so it will sit on Navajo pearls, a thick box chain, or a leather cord without looking under hung. Worn alone it does all the work; it does not need layering.
Condition
Excellent. Newly made and unworn, with the deep oxidised finish the maker applies to the stamped recesses.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.
This listing is for the pendant only. Chains shown in photographs are for styling purposes and are not included.
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