Sonoran Mountain Turquoise Teardrop Pendant in Sterling Silver, by Martinez

One stone. That is the entire design, and it is the harder thing to pull off. When a piece has a dozen stones in it, no single one has to carry the weight. Here there is nowhere to hide. The cabochon has to be good enough to stand alone, and the silver around it has to stay out of the way. This one earns it.

The stone is Sonoran Mountain turquoise in a deep forest green, run through with dark webbing and lit up in places with flashes of bright chartreuse. Held to the light it reads less like a gemstone and more like something aerial, a canopy seen from above. The dome is high and the polish is glassy, so the color has real depth to it instead of sitting flat on the surface.

The setting is quiet on purpose. A clean sterling bezel, a simple bail, nothing competing with the stone. It hangs about 1 1/2 inches including the bail, which is enough presence to be noticed without being a project to wear. This is a piece you put on with a t-shirt, an everyday pendant that slides onto the chain you already love.

Turn it over and it is signed Martinez, sterling.

The details

• Stone: Sonoran Mountain turquoise, deep green with dark webbing
• Metal: sterling silver
• Hallmark: Martinez, sterling
• Pendant: 1 inch long, 1 1/2 inches including the bail
• Chain: not included, hangs on your own chain or necklace
• One of a kind: yes, a single piece

This is a one-of-a-kind, hallmarked Martinez pendant for collectors and for anyone who wants a distinctive, artisan-made piece to wear or to give as a memorable gift. Most people picture blue when they hear turquoise. Sonoran Mountain comes out of the ground green, no dye and no treatment, and that is the whole reason collectors go looking for it.