Exquisite Bertrandite Tiffany Stone Fire Opal Fine Inlay Pendant and Post Earrings Set by accomplished Navajo Silversmiths Albert Francisco and Shiela Tso NAER-09088. This set was designed by a local New Mexico jewelry designer, Steve Harper owner of Stoneweaver, known for his fine contemporary Inlay with exceptional use of color and stone choices. These jewelry collections are designed once and executed by some of New Mexico's finest Native American inlay jewelry silversmiths with amazing variance so each piece is different.
Bertrandite Tiffany Stone Fire Opal Contemporary Inlay Sterling Silver Post Earrings by Navajo Silversmith Albert Francisco and Pendant by Navajo Shiela Tso incorporates both Intarsia and Channel Inlay techniques. Pendant has a tapered wide bail great for a variety of chains, cords or beads up to 5mm and with this elegant contemporary style would look lovely on Omega style chain.
Bertrandite was named after Leon Bertrand, a French mineralogist, and is one of the more important ores of beryllium, second only to beryl. Bertrandite is closely tied to the gemstone mineral beryl in many ways besides its use as an ore for the same metal. The two are often associated together as bertrandite is an alteration product of beryl. At times bertrandite is growing on beryl crystals and at other times bertrandite has completely replaced the beryl crystals forming a pseudomorph. A pseudomorph is an atom by atom replacement of one mineral for another; replacing the chemistry and structure with a new mineral, but preserving the outward shape of the original crystal. Pseudomorph mean false shape. Bertrandite is found in beryllium bearing pegmatitic rocks and some hydrothermal veins.
Our Fire Opal is lab created (a name that referenced lab Opal in Native American jewelry from years ago) and far more durable than natural Opal whether they are single cuts, doublets or triplets at a fraction of the cost. Bertrandite is sometimes referred to as Tiffany Stone.