What does hand forged actually mean? 

All Secondsister jewelry starts as either an ingot of silver or a piece of sheet silver. The metal is heated in a forge and hammered into shape. Silver elements are soldered together using a torch. All stamping is done with steel stamps (most made by Navajo artists), by hand.  

What kind of turquoise do you use?

Turquoise and other stones are all individually selected for certain characteristics. Most turquoise used in Secondsister Jewelry is from the American Southwest and is untreated high grade. Turquoise from various other parts of the world will, on occasion, be used. Care is taken to list the origin mine with the product description.

Are you Navajo?

Nope. I'm Scottish! My love affair with Navajo jewelry began 25 years ago when I married my husband who actually descended from the Oglala, Sioux tribe. His grandparents settled in Sedona, Arizona and had been collecting Navajo jewelry for years when I joined the family.

And now for a word about cultural appropriation...

My love for all things Navajo runs deep. The last thing I'd ever want to do is take one more thing from a people who have already lost so much. When I decided to really immerse myself in silversmithing, I spent time in New Mexico with a master Navajo silversmith named Lyndon Tsosie. He taught me techniques and he also taught me about the heart of the Navajo people and how that is expressed in various art forms. The Navajo were first taught the art of silversmithing by the Mexicans in the mid to late 1800's (history gets a little murky on the exact dates). I also visited Taxco de Alarcón, Mexico where many great silversmiths worked and mined their silver. Many of the designs found in their work were introduced to them by the Spanish, who had copied them from the Moors. All this to say, everything is a remix. Every generation of every culture influences tangent cultures. I am just a link in a very long history of design and technique. It's my opinion that the very best silversmiths of our time are Navajo. I'm just doing my very best to honor the craft.