Okay, this stone looks like a hidden forest seen through dark water.
The collector-grade Royston moves through olive, moss, deep green and near-black, split by flashes of golden-brown matrix. Sheila Tso framed the asymmetrical cabochon with twisted silver wire and a complete halo of individually stamped silver crescents.
At 2.5 inches and 20 grams, it has serious presence without becoming a gigantic chest plate.
Why This Piece Matters
Royston turquoise is celebrated for its extraordinary color range—not only classic blue, but also highly collectible greens shaped by the mine’s varied mineral environment.
This cabochon possesses unusual depth. Translucent-looking olive passages transition into dark forest green, while the golden matrix creates the impression of light breaking through the stone. Its asymmetrical shape preserves the natural movement of the material rather than forcing it into a calibrated outline.
Sheila’s silverwork functions as a restrained architectural frame. The alternating stamped crescents and polished silver spheres create rhythm around the stone while leaving the Royston visually dominant.
Artifact Registry
Artifact Name: The Green Below
Artist: Sheila Tso
Tribal Affiliation: Navajo
Materials: Collector-grade Royston turquoise and sterling silver
Construction: Handmade bezel, twisted-wire border, stamped silver crescent work, silver sphere detailing and oversized handmade bail
Dimensions: Approximately 2.5 inches long
Weight: 20 grams
Bail Opening: Approximately 10mm
Date: 2026
Hallmark: Stamped “S. Tso” and “Sterling”
Provenance: Commissioned directly from Sheila Tso for Hespera Jewelry Company
Collector’s Gallery Value: $1,095
Curator’s Field Observation
The stone’s color—not its size—is the principal collector feature. Its greens move from luminous olive to almost black, with warm mineral lines crossing the lower half of the cabochon.
Sheila repeated stamped crescent forms around the setting, separating them with small silver spheres and dark oxidized recesses. This gives the pendant a radiating silhouette while retaining significant negative space between the stone and outer frame.
The approximately 10mm bail is large enough to accommodate substantial Navajo pearls, heavier chains and many traditional shepherd’s hooks.
Eric’s Notes from the Field
This is Royston for the person who already understands that turquoise does not have to be blue.
The stone looks like moss, deep water and some tiny golden fault line all happening at once. It has these dark passages that give it incredible depth—you genuinely feel like you’re looking into it rather than simply looking at the surface.
And Sheila gave it exactly the right frame: enough silver architecture to make it feel important, but nothing competing with that completely strange green stone.
Basically, it looks like a forest swallowed an artifact and returned it several centuries later. Love.
Okay, this stone looks like a hidden forest seen through dark water.
The collector-grade Royston moves through olive, moss, deep green and near-black, split by flashes of golden-brown matrix. Sheila Tso framed the asymmetrical cabochon with twisted silver wire and a complete halo of individually stamped silver crescents.
At 2.5 inches and 20 grams, it has serious presence without becoming a gigantic chest plate.
Why This Piece Matters
Royston turquoise is celebrated for its extraordinary color range—not only classic blue, but also highly collectible greens shaped by the mine’s varied mineral environment.
This cabochon possesses unusual depth. Translucent-looking olive passages transition into dark forest green, while the golden matrix creates the impression of light breaking through the stone. Its asymmetrical shape preserves the natural movement of the material rather than forcing it into a calibrated outline.
Sheila’s silverwork functions as a restrained architectural frame. The alternating stamped crescents and polished silver spheres create rhythm around the stone while leaving the Royston visually dominant.
Artifact Registry
Artifact Name: The Green Below
Artist: Sheila Tso
Tribal Affiliation: Navajo
Materials: Collector-grade Royston turquoise and sterling silver
Construction: Handmade bezel, twisted-wire border, stamped silver crescent work, silver sphere detailing and oversized handmade bail
Dimensions: Approximately 2.5 inches long
Weight: 20 grams
Bail Opening: Approximately 10mm
Date: 2026
Hallmark: Stamped “S. Tso” and “Sterling”
Provenance: Commissioned directly from Sheila Tso for Hespera Jewelry Company
Collector’s Gallery Value: $1,095
Curator’s Field Observation
The stone’s color—not its size—is the principal collector feature. Its greens move from luminous olive to almost black, with warm mineral lines crossing the lower half of the cabochon.
Sheila repeated stamped crescent forms around the setting, separating them with small silver spheres and dark oxidized recesses. This gives the pendant a radiating silhouette while retaining significant negative space between the stone and outer frame.
The approximately 10mm bail is large enough to accommodate substantial Navajo pearls, heavier chains and many traditional shepherd’s hooks.
Eric’s Notes from the Field
This is Royston for the person who already understands that turquoise does not have to be blue.
The stone looks like moss, deep water and some tiny golden fault line all happening at once. It has these dark passages that give it incredible depth—you genuinely feel like you’re looking into it rather than simply looking at the surface.
And Sheila gave it exactly the right frame: enough silver architecture to make it feel important, but nothing competing with that completely strange green stone.
Basically, it looks like a forest swallowed an artifact and returned it several centuries later. Love.
