I commissioned a few of these rings and 1 pendant. I also chose the cabs for these pieces from the silversmiths’ inventories. The various stones are: Turquoise, faceted Moonstone, Montana agate, Labradorite, Lodalite, Mexican fire opal (Cantera), Agua Nueva agate and Owyhee Picture Jasper with a raw, faceted sapphire. None of these rings/pendants are NA made. Rings in the 4th photo are both Native American made. They’re hallmarked: “Effie C. Zuni” (Calavaza) and “Eldred Martinez Zuni N.M.” The snake ring by Mr. Martinez is 2.25" in length.
14 Likes
Amazing collection!! I have some questions (of course 
).
-
Are the stones in the ring with the double stones 2nd from left top row top photo Golden Hills turquoise?
-
Do you know what turquoise that is in the 2nd from right top row top photo?
-
And are the stones in the ring with double stones left on bottom row top photo the labradorite? We have a big labradorite stone that my hubby bought, but it’s much darker.
I absolutely love the inlayed Martinez ring. I’m not particularly a snake fan (although I do have a snake buckle I inherited from my dad), but this is an awesome collection. So cool! And thanks for sharing!
Oh …one more question, the pieces in the middle - what are the little silver rings on them? I’ve not seen that before.
4 Likes
@Ziacat Thank you!! 1) Yes, both stones are Golden Hills turquoise in that ring. That turquoise is from Kazakhstan, 2) That’s Royston turquoise, 3) Yes, those 2 stones are Labradorite. I have quite a few pieces of labradorite that I bought at Gem & Mineral shows. Some pieces are more blue in color, other pieces are more green in color. 4) Are you referring to the pendants? You thread your chain through the little silver jump rings to allow it to hang properly. Just the way the artist likes to make her pendants, I guess.
2 Likes
After I posted I was thinking they were probably pendants. My husband loves labradorite so he bought a pretty big almost black (until the light hits it) chunk that sits on our side table.
I’m not super knowledgeable about stones other than turquoise, although I’m learning, because my husband loves going in rock shops. He’s found some pretty cool stuff through the years.
2 Likes
I really like labradorite. think it’s cuz of the surprise flash of color when the light hits just right.
once saw a chunk that was nearly as big as a loaf of bread…no,didn’t even ask the price,just instantly stepped away w/out a word.
3 Likes
Nice snake collection!
I love them all. My dad has a snake ring and cuff style watch by Effie C.
So I made two snake rings.
The first one you all probably saw when I posted it recently. I used Ithaca Peak turquoise and my own design.
This second one is sterling and a 5 point diamond. I made this one a few years ago.
I was seeing a lot of antique snake rings on the internet, all expensive. So I decided to make my own, with a diamond in his head.
8 Likes
@Stracci Thanks! Your diamond snake ring is beautiful and you perfectly captured the look & design of an antique snake ring. I also like the vintage wedding band on your other finger 
.
2 Likes
I also like that about Labradorite, @newpawn. My husband got one at a rock shop in South Haven, MI about 3/4 size of a loaf of bread, and the price wasn’t bad at all. But it was his b day present so there is that 
Edit: he says it’s not nearly that big, not as nearly wide, oops. He also said the reason the light changes is interesting; he explained, but I don’t understand something about not all the light waves reflecting equally.
3 Likes
Snakes alive! I like them all. The Zuni one is really neat. The picture Jasper is pretty.
3 Likes
@Patina, they are all beautiful rings! The Golden Hills turquoise is so distinctive. I think I’d be very tempted by that one plus the green ones, too. Gah, what am I saying, they’re all delightful!
I’m another member of the labradorite fan club. I have a huge chunk (like @Ziacat 's husband’s) that belonged to my late father, it’s in our living room now. And one piece that’s made it through various jewellery downsizings is a labradorite pendant that flashes with a very intense blue. There’s something about labradorescence that is magical!
I’d love to take a look at the more brightly coloured Finnish variety – spectrolite – but so far have only seen it in photos. And don’t get me started on ammolite!
4 Likes
@chamekke Thank you! I’m definitely a member of the labradorite fan club! I tend to like ones that flash a little more bluish color. Agree with you ~ it’s magical. I looked up spectrolite as I’m not familiar with it. Saw some beautiful cabs of it online.
3 Likes
Now I have to Google those two…
2 Likes
5 Likes
Wow, this is a very nice collection!
1 Like