GRADE A

Heishi - The literal meaning of heishi is "shell" and specifically refers to pieces of shell which have been drilled and ground into beads and then strung into necklaces. More and more frequently, however, heishi (hee-shee) has come to refer to hand-made tiny beads made of any natural material.

 Turquoise - The Process    Turquoise is synonymous with the Southwest. In streets, plazas and in the middle of the desert; over plain dresses, velvet blouses, satin skirts, cowboy shirts and ceremonial costumes, Anglos as well as Pueblo and Navajo Indians wear turquoise necklaces, turquoise pendant, turquoise bracelets, belts and pins and as much as they can at one time. Elsewhere, turquoise may come and go with fashion. IN the Southwest,  turquoise is more precious than gold, an enduring expression of Native American culture. It is the birthstone of December and signifies success.

 Sterling Silver: Sterling silver is 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% copper.  The copper is necessary for durability and strength since 100% pure silver is too soft to hold up on it's own.  Silver is a wonderful neutral color trend these days.

 Silver Plate: Silver coating on a base metal, usually electroplated or dipped.  It's also a cheaper, yet just as pretty, alternative to sterling silver.

 Gold-Fill:  Also known as rolled gold, gold-fill products are made by bonding gold with a core of brass.  Gold is essentially rolled around the brass core, which explains the term "rolled gold".  In the U.S., gold filled items must contain 20% gold by weight.  This product has 100 times more gold than a gold plated product, and will last a lifetime if cared for properly.   *See Jewelry Care.

 Vermeil:  Base metal that has been gilded with an overlay of gold.

 Swarovski (Austrian) Crystals: Made in Austria, Swarovski products are considered to be one of the finest products of their kind in the world.  Unlike Czech glass, these are machine polished and are higher in cost than Czech Glass.

Czech Fire-Polished Glass Beads:  Imported from the Czech Republic, these beads are machine faceted, then polished by glazing inside a red-hot oven.  This gives them beautiful, glistening colors with a "softer" look and a smoother feel.  These are less expensive than  Swarovski crystals.

Bali Beads:  Bali Beads are hand-crafted in Bali, Indonesia. Each bead is made one by one, they are not cast. They are 92.5% sterling silver, and since each bead is hand-crafted weight may vary slightly.

Pressed Glass: Century-old method of pressing glass into steel molds, resulting in uniform bead shapes.

Diachronic Glass:  Vaporized metallic salts are shot through an electronic beam gun onto special glass.  It is then heated in a vacuum chamber creating glass with a mystical glowing radiance.  Its look is similar to the reflective rainbow sheen that's found in the gas used in vehicles.

Stabilized Turquoise:  "Stabilized" turquoise has been impregnated with a clear resin that improves its color and hardness and protects it against fading (color changing) from mild chemicals.

 Note: The "Sleeping Beauty" turquoise is the most highly prized turquoise in the world, found in the Sleeping Beauty Mine in Arizona.  This bright, vivid blue turquoise, often referred to as "Persian color" is bright, vivid blue and most pieces are perfectly clear of any inclusions (dark markings or veins).

 Cat's Eye Beads:  Top "A" grade fiber optic glass beads should be expertly shaped with a well-defined "eye" line and uniform "eye" within the bead strand.  This kind of bead has graduated colors in it starting with a lighter colored "eye" centered around the middle of the bead, much like the Tiger Eye stone.

 Aurora Borealis Finish:  A rainbow finish added to the outside of glass beads after polishing.  It's long lasting and doesn't fade or chip with normal wear.