Navajo Pearls – Everything You Need to Know About Sterling Silver Native American Beads

Sterling Silver Navajo bead necklaces are an old tradition with Navajo silversmiths. Besides being used alone as necklaces or necklaces with pendants, sterling silver beads are an integral part of squash blossom necklaces.

Dear Paula,

I love the Marie Yazzie beads I just received !

I would like to get another stamped set, this time just a little bit shorter and perhaps lighter weight for summer…but I’m undecided as to whether to get graduated or not…do you remember the other pair I got in January? Between those and the Marie Yazzie beads I just received, I want to add one more set – now which do you recommend?” – Cynthia

Hi Cynthia,

The beads that you just received are nice heavy beads with deep stamping.

The ones you bought in January were plain (not stamped) and great for using with pendants.

Native American Sterling Silver Beads by Navajo Lily Yazzie

So now, after talking with you on the phone, it sounds like you want a set that you can wear with tank tops and V neck tees kind of as a dress down/dress up statement. I can relate !!  Love it !!

To give you the very best advice, please read the entire article below which you have inspired me to write…then look for my answer to your specific question after the end of the article. – Paula

Navajo Pearls

Everything You Need to Know About Sterling Silver Native American Beads

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Sterling Silver Navajo bead necklaces are an old tradition with Navajo silversmiths. Besides being used alone as necklaces or necklaces with pendants, sterling silver beads are an integral part of squash blossom necklaces.

Native American Squash Blossom Necklace

Authentic Native American sterling silver beads are getting more difficult to find as they are very labor intensive to make (you’ll see what I mean after you learn the process below). There are many sterling silver bead necklaces available but if you want Native American handmade, then it helps to know more about them so you know what you are getting.

Bench made Beads vs Hand Made Beads

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Handmade (hand made) beads are entirely hand crafted: cutting, stamping, dapping, drilling, soldering, filing, polishing, stringing is all done by hand. Hand made beads are very labor intensive, therefore much more expensive than bench made beads. Also, when taking the time to make beads by hand, Navajo silversmiths generally use heavy gauge sterling silver, which also adds to the price. Handmade Native American beads are the most cherished and desired by customers. Because each bead is made individually, there might be slight variations from bead to bead.

Navajo Sterling Silver Benchmade Beads

Bench made Beads (also known as Bench Beads) usually refer to beads that are partially manufactured and partially hand made. Usually the silversmith starts with some machine cut pieces, which are then soldered. The seam is usually fairly prominent.

Note the prominent seams on these bench made beads, part of a squash blossom necklace made of howlite.

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Graduated Beads vs All One Size

Graduated beads are available in lengths from 16” to 28” and usually consist of 5 sizes of beads. There is only one of the largest beads at the center and the others graduate from the center toward the ends. The bead sizes might range from approximately 22 mm (7/8”) in diameter for the large center bead 13 mm (1/2”) at the ends or something similar.

Handmade Sterling Silver Graduated Navajo Beads by Marie Yazzie

Beads that are all one size are uniform throughout the necklace and are commonly available in 7 mm to 12 mm diameter – although beads outside that range are also available. When they are about 8-10 mm and round, they really look like “pearls” if you ask me.

Sterling Silver Navajo Pearls by Larry Pinto

Bead Shape and Style

Round – The basic shape of a sterling silver bead is round.

Round Sterling Silver Navajo Pearls

Seed – The seed bead is a round bead that has been squashed so it is shorter than it is wide and has a more defined seam, which makes it look something like a seed.

Sterling Silver Navajo Seed Bead

Melon Beads were originally known as the melon seed bead – a unique elongated shape.

Navajo Pearls and Melon Beads by Virginia Tso

Barrel Beads are long, straight, smooth cylinders.

Navajo Sterling Silver Barrel Beads by Susie Lee

Plain Beads have a smooth surface (see Round Beads above).

Stamped beads have a stamped pattern. It can be deep and definite or shallow and subtler.

Stamped Beads by Navajo Lily Yazzie

Fluted beads (also called embossed) have a ridged surface pattern.

Fluted Sterling Silver Beads by Calvin Largo, Navajo

New beads are shiny and polished and if kept buffed, they will retain their shiny surface. If left unpolished, they will develop a patina.

Antiqued beads are those that have been treated so that they have a darkened appearance of patina.

Antiqued Sterling Silver Beads by Virginia Tso, Navajo

How Navajo Pearls are Made

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The Navajo silversmith that makes beads has two specialized hand tools. One is a dapping block that has concave half domes of various sizes in it. The other is a set of correspondingly sized dapping punches, which have ball ends.

Each bead starts out as two flat discs of sterling silver of a specific size. Each disc is domed one at a time by placing the disc over an appropriately sized cavity and dapping it with the punch until the flat disc becomes domed. Each half-bead is filed so that it will fit evenly with the other half-bead. A hole is drilled in the top of each dome. The burr from the drilling is filed off. Narrow strips of silver solder are cut and placed between the halves and with ample flux the two pieces are soldered together. The edge is filed and the bead is polished.

OK, one plain smooth bead has been made !

Variations on the process are needed if the bead is to be stamped or fluted.

If a bead is going to have a stamped design on it, the stamping usually occurs before dapping which is why the stamping on some beads might be a little bit deeper or shallower among beads. Remember – handmade.

If a bead is going to be fluted (sometimes called embossed), the silversmith uses fluted dies that fit into the dapping block as well as corresponding fluted punches. Fluted beads require larger discs of sterling silver to make a corresponding smooth bead of the same size. That’s because the fluting or “pleats” use up a good amount of material.

Most Navajo Pearls are strung on foxtail cord, which is a woven silver cord that can be sterling silver, nickel or other metals. A foxtail cord or chain is more like a cable, its strength and durability comes from weaving many small strands.

Weight of the beads

The final weight of a necklace starts with the gauge of the sterling silver sheet that is used to make the discs. Weight is directly related to price. Two similar looking 18” necklaces, for example, one weighing 20 grams and one weighing 50 grams will vary greatly in price, the latter probably costing 3 times the former.

Weight also affects drape. A heavier necklace hangs with a better shape than a lighter one. And heavier beads are more durable, a characteristic to consider if you are going to use the beads with large pendants. A necklace made with heavier beads will stand up to the job better than a lightweight one.

Weight is a personal preference though and you might want various weights for various uses. A very tiny woman would not want to wear a large, heavy necklace or it would be a burden rather than a joy. An average sized woman, however, can comfortably wear any sterling silver necklace in our store and most women have indicated to me, “the heavier the better”.

Length of beads

Most women wear a choker size 16-19”. A choker is a necklace that fits comfortably around the neck and is perfect for peeking out from underneath an open collared shirt or displayed openly when wearing a tank top, a V-neck tee shirt or halter top.

Sterling Silver Navajo Pearls with Pendant

Chokers are also ideal for use with pendants. Pendants that work with sterling silver beads include those with a Shepherd’s Hook or a large open bail.

Shepherd’s Hook on Native American Pendant

Large Bail on a Native American Pendant

Silver bead necklaces in the 19-22 inch range are great for wearing over a collared shirt, a sweater or a turtleneck – the added length gives the space need for over-the-clothing use.

Longer necklaces, those up to 28 inches in length can be used alone or in combination with fetish, heishi or squash blossom necklaces.

So, now Cynthia, to answer your question specifically:

You have one set of plain 18” beads (all-one-size) that are ideal for use alone as the classic “Navajo Pearls” or with a pendant.

You have one set of 19 ½” deeply stamped ornate beads that you could use over a sweater or collared shirt and could easily be stand-alone or could be used with a simple pendant.

If I were in your position, I’d either add a shorter stamped graduated or all-one-size stamped bead necklace to wear as a stand-alone choker. Depending on your size, that would probably be in the 16-19 inches range.

Remember, if you choose a graduated necklace, it would difficult if not impossible to use a pendant with it since the center bead is the biggest and would make it difficult to place a pendant in a balanced position.

The very first sterling silver necklace I purchased was a 17” stamped graduated choker and it is still one of my favorite “go-to” necklaces.

Have fun browsing and choosing and let me know if I can provide any other information about Navajo Pearls, one of my first jewelry passions.

Paula