{"product_id":"first-light-second-sunrise-turquoise-necklace","title":"First Light Second Sunrise Necklace","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI don’t think this necklace was always meant to exist.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNot like this.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe turquoise began its life deep beneath Arizona in the Sleeping Beauty Mine, famous for producing some of the clearest, most luminous blue turquoise ever discovered. The beads, on the other hand, started their journey on another continent entirely. Handcrafted African trade beads from the late 1800s, made of coin silver and carried across deserts, villages, and trading routes long before they found their way into the American Southwest.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeparated by oceans.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSeparated by generations.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNow they tell the same story.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe blossom sits at the center like the first flower after winter—small, confident, and impossibly blue against the warm patina of silver that has already lived more than a century. It’s the kind of necklace that couldn’t have been made in a single lifetime. It had to wait for history to catch up with itself.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtifact Registry\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eArtifact:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaker:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Vintage Native American blossom pendant (unsigned)\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOrigin:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Navajo (likely), Southwest United States\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDate:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e Pendant circa 1960s–1970s; beads circa 1880s\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMaterials\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSterling silver blossom pendant\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNatural Sleeping Beauty turquoise\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuthentic antique African coin silver trade beads\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTraditional fiber strand\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eLength:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e 28 inches\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eConstruction\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eHand-fabricated sterling silver blossom pendant\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBezel-set elongated Sleeping Beauty turquoise cabochon\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTwisted rope bezel and hand-stamped silver accents\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003eAuthentic late-19th-century African coin silver trade beads, restrung for wear\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePendant suspended directly from the historic bead strand\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eCollector’s Gallery Value\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e$1,400–1,900\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEstimated value for an equivalent work offered through a premier gallery or specialist Native American art dealer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eField Observation\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis necklace unites two remarkable collecting traditions. The pendant showcases the unmistakable clear sky-blue color that made Sleeping Beauty turquoise one of the most sought-after American gemstones, while the antique African coin silver trade beads contribute over a century of history and beautifully developed patina. Together, they create a composition that is historically layered, visually restrained, and exceptionally wearable.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEric’s Notes from the Field\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThis is why I love building necklaces.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSometimes you don’t improve an old piece—you introduce it to another old piece that spent a hundred years waiting to meet it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe beads have already lived an incredible life.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe turquoise has one of the greatest stories in American jewelry.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eTogether, they feel like they always belonged to each other.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThat’s rare.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hespera Jewelry Co.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47741622616241,"sku":null,"price":489.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0153\/9641\/files\/First_Light_Second_Sunrise_Necklace.webp?v=1784741239","url":"https:\/\/hespera.com\/products\/first-light-second-sunrise-turquoise-necklace","provider":"Hespera Jewelry Co.","version":"1.0","type":"link"}