This glowing stone is the favorite of people who purchase Navajo and Zuni jewelry. It is also among the most important stones for Native Americans of the Southwest.

Ranging in color from a deep blue to green-blue to a striking sky blue, the semi-precious stone's color determines its value. Formed by waters percolating through rocky deposits, turquoise is frequently discovered near copper mines and is usually mined in desert and arid regions.

The stones may shine with uniform color or with matrix lines that add contrast and enhance their beauty. "Spiderweb" patterns are especially coveted.

A December birth stone, turquoise is said to be the stone of love that will produce happy thoughts for all who wear it. Native American belief associates turquoise -- a gift from the gods -- with horses, discovering desert water and attracting wild game.

Turquoise has been used throughout the world as ornament and trade items for thousands of years. Turquoise jewelry dating back 25,000 years has been found in the layered cliffs of Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. Today, Native Americans and non-natives continue to trade this fascinating stone.

Native Americans became master silversmiths in the 1800s after being introduced to the skill by Spanish traders.

A early description of a Navajo warrior tells of an outfit lavishly trimmed with silver buttons. Photographs made during the 1860s and 1870s also show the Navajo tradition of silver buttons, originally made from Mexico silver pesos (coins) and later from American silver dollars.

A stunning bed of silver usually surrounds a turquoise stone. At the Navajo Shopping Center, you'll find exquisite Navajo and Zuni jewelry. It is frequently made by silversmiths from families who have perfected various silver techniques for generations. Each piece is steeped in tradition, created with care.

Navajo jewelry making and silversmithing techniques include sandcasting and tooled sheet, wire and ball work. Navajo concho belts or squash blossom necklaces, inspired by the Mexican pomegranate, may feature elaborate silver work. In contrast, the turquoise is typically a simple but large stone, or several medium stones.

Sandcasting, more appropriately called stonecasting or tufacasting, is one of the oldest and most beautiful ways in which Navajos create jewelry. Dating from the 19th century, silver is heated and poured into a stone mold. Decorative stones are added. Additional molten silver is poured to finish the piece, which is then filed, polished and sanded.

Jewelry made by Zuni Indians tends to emphasize stones set in elaborate inlaid designs. Frequently, turquoise is surrounded by a mosaic of other bright stones -- coral, mother-of-pearl, lapis, malachite, jet.

Because their pueblo is near railroad lines, the Zunis were among the first to acquire electricity and the stone-cutting materials that make their jewelry so stunning -- and coveted among many other Native American tribes.