Cheryl Yestewa (1958-2019) was a Hopi bead maker. She began her career in the mid 1970’s and continued until her passing. She was totally self-taught and only used the best quality materials to craft her beads. Whether it be turquoise, coral, opal or agate, she chose the best possible materials available. Each and every bead is hand shaped, rolled, drilled and strung by Cheryl, with her beautifully designed gold or silver cones, hooks and beads. Her work is impeccable, making her necklaces something to behold. She has won multiple awards for her work over the years. She is the mother of Piki Wadsworth, who is an outstanding bead maker also.

This stunning, 18K gold, Mintabie Opal and top grade Sugilite necklace is a testament to her amazing ability to turn raw materials into something of beauty!

Both Opal and Sugilite test the photographer’s abilities to show the true, multiple colors in the opal and the exact purples of the Sugilite. The pictures were taken both inside and outside in direct sun light. The opal has both transparent and translucent beads, with many showing colors of blues, purples and greens. The Sugilite has beautiful patterns of darker purple banding and a hint of deep magenta. I tried to capture as much of the colors and possible, but the lighting made its own decisions at times.

The pendant measure 1 ¼” tall by 1 1/8” wide, with the Sugilite stone measuring 7/8” by ¾”. The Opal rondels and gold beads are graduated from 3mm to 6mm. The total length is 21 ½”, with a chain adjustment to shorten it by 1 ¼”. Both the top gold cones and the pendant are hallmarked CMY.