Royston Turquoise Vintage Nugget Necklace Santo Domingo

Our Royston Turquoise Nugget Necklace is a piece with a story that began long before the necklace itself was made. Handcrafted by an experienced female artisan team from Santo Domingo Pueblo, it features substantial Royston turquoise nuggets, each individually shaped and polished by hand, then finished with sterling silver clasps. The beautiful irregularity of the stones gives the necklace an organic presence, with each nugget revealing its own combination of turquoise, green, brown, and warm earthy matrix.

What makes this necklace especially meaningful is the age and history of the turquoise itself. This particular female artisan had kept these stones for many years after receiving them from her family. She remembers that they came from either her mother or grandmother, although she is no longer certain which generation originally held them. That uncertainty somehow makes their story even more beautiful. These are stones that remained within her family, waiting through the years until she chose to transform them into this remarkable necklace.

The character of Royston turquoise is unmistakable here. Known for its blue-green to green coloration and dramatic brown and golden matrix, Royston has an earthy quality that feels particularly suited to these natural nugget forms. For the Santo Domingo people, also known as Kewa Pueblo, working with stone and shell is part of a jewelry-making tradition carried through generations. Shaping nuggets like these requires patience: each stone must be carefully ground, drilled, polished, and arranged while preserving its individual character.

When Jean Marie selected this necklace, she was captivated not only by the beauty of the old Royston turquoise, but by the family history held within it. Learning that the stones had belonged to the artisan’s mother or grandmother gave the piece an emotional depth she immediately appreciated. For Jean Marie, this is what makes handmade jewelry so special: the material has a past, the artisans give it a new life, and the person who wears it becomes part of the story that comes next.

Length 17.5"

Weight 3 oz 85 gr

Made in New Mexico, USA