Silver
Silver jewelry from across the world.
Our silver jewelry cases bring together fine sterling pieces — rings, pendants, earrings, cuffs, and more — from artist communities around the world. Each tradition has its own technique, design language, and relationship to the metal. Below, a short word on the makers we carry.
Where it comes from
Diné (Navajo) artists
We carry Diné jewelry from Nathan Lefthand and Mary Rose Tso. Both work with high-quality turquoise from named American mines — the kind whose provenance you can trace back to a specific seam. Nathan also brings in rainbow petrified wood and other semi-precious stones, which he lapidaries himself for his settings. Diné silverwork is one of the most recognizable jewelry traditions in the world, and a language that keeps getting added to by every generation that picks up the tools.
Coast Salish artists
The Coast Salish are a language group whose homelands stretch up and down the Salish Sea, from southern Washington into British Columbia. Wood carving has been the long-standing form for formline work here; silver is a younger medium for it. We have a number of beautifully cast Coast Salish jewelry pieces in our cases right now.
Taxco, Mexico
Taxco has been a silver-making town since the 16th century, and a 20th-century renaissance turned it into a hub for fine craftsmanship and bold design. Most pieces are marked; the special ones run closer to 950 silver.
Hilltribes of Thailand
Karen, Hmong, and other Hilltribes communities in northern Thailand work in some of the purest silver you'll find — often 95% or higher. Hammered, hand-twisted, and unmistakably theirs.
Artisans in Bali
Balinese silver is known for fine granulation, intricate wire work, and a depth of technique that's hard to replicate by machine. Centuries-deep craft you can feel in the hand.
Artisans in Thailand
Beyond the Hilltribes, Thailand has a broader tradition of silver craft — designers and family workshops pairing time-tested technique with a more contemporary feel.
Local artists
A handful of Pacific Northwest jewelers we've come to know and trust. Carrying their work is a small way we get to support the kind of independent making the Market has always been about.
A note on the metal
Most of the silver in our shop is 925 sterling — the international standard, an alloy that's 92.5% pure silver. A few of our older collectibles will sometimes run a touch lower; certain special Taxco pieces and Hilltribes work run closer to 950 silver, which is softer, brighter, and not something you'll find on most shelves.
We label what we know — origin, era, and stamp marks when they're there.
Why we love sterling
- · It's a precious metal. Silver holds value the way it always has — for thousands of years, by design.
- · It's hypoallergenic for most people. A relief if you've had trouble with the mixed-metal jewelry that turns skin green.
- · It carries cultural significance around the world. Almost every culture that works in metal works in silver, and the variety is what makes a silver case worth slowing down over.
Silver jewelry in the cases now
Looking for something specific?
Email with a description of what you have in mind — a style, a stone, a maker — and we'll look through the cases for you.