Make a beautiful statement on your finger with this Southwest Elements ring. It's available in your choice of 16x12mm oval gemstone. Choose from Larimar, Rhodochrosite or White Buffalo. You'll love the gorgeous color and Southwest-inspired design. The ring is expertly crafted in sterling silver with an oxidized finish to show off all the ornate silversmith details. It's a perfect finishing touch to any outfit, whether you're rocking jeans and a tee or a black cocktail dress.
Handcrafted by artisans in New Mexico, the Southwest Elements designs evoke images of the American Southwest landscape and the nature around it. This sterling silver jewelry line showcases unique finishing techniques such as oxidation to mimic the rustic surroundings and craftsmanship of the artisans who came before. Genuine, vibrant gemstones such as turquoise and spiny oyster are used to create bold looks with vivid imagery of classic Southwest influences such as crosses, dragonflies and more.
Check out the Ring Sizing Guide to find your ring size.
All weights pertaining to gemstones, including diamonds, are minimum weights. Additionally, please note that many gemstones are treated to enhance their beauty. View Gemstone Enhancements and Special Care Requirements for important information.
Sterling silver, also called fine silver, is a beautifully lustrous cool-toned precious metal favored in fine jewelry among other products. The most reflective of all metals (excluding mercury), sterling silver looks stunning by itself and brings out the best hues in an array of colorful gemstones.
Sterling silver can be polished to a higher sheen than platinum. In fact, Ag, the chemical symbol for silver, comes from a word that means “white and shining.” The surface of silver can boast that shiny, polished appearance, or can be brushed, satin, matte, sandblasted, antiqued or oxidized (chemically blackened).
In order to be called sterling silver, a metal must be made up of a minimum of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% alloy (meaning other metals), including but not limited to copper and nickel. The alloy is added to pure silver to make the metal more durable, tougher and harder. Sterling silver is designated a fineness of “925.” Pieces with sterling silver may be marked “sterling.”
Finishes on Sterling Silver
Finishing, or plating, is a common treatment with sterling silver. Popular types of plating are rhodium plating, gold plating and anti-tarnish plating. Plating is used to extend the life and sheen of the jewelry. After sizing or buffing a piece of jewelry with a machine, it must be re-plated to restore the finish.
Caring for Sterling Silver
Sterling silver becomes tarnished as the result of a natural chemical process that occurs when sterling silver is exposed to chemicals in the air, rubber, wool and latex. Humidity also plays a role in accelerating tarnishing. It's easy to keep your sterling silver sparkling, though, by taking a few steps to prevent tarnish and other wear and tear.
Larimar
One of the newest gemstones to be discovered and acclaimed, the world's only source of larimar is found in one square mountain kilometer on an island in the Caribbean. This wondrous gem's limited locality makes it one of the rarest gemstones in the world.
The delicacy of mining makes larimar all the more elusive. Generations of island villagers extract the stone by hand, releasing each precious blue gem from an armor of weathered basalt. To look upon larimar is to see the swirling seas of the Caribbean emulated in a palette of ocean blue. Its extraordinary color comes from a mineral composition that creates amazing azure hues. Nature ensures that no two stones are exactly alike.