Virginia Tso: A Living Tradition Making Navajo Pearls

Virginia Tso, Navajo silversmith

One of the most respected artists continuing this tradition is Virginia Tso, a renowned Navajo jeweler from Pinedale, Arizona. Virginia has specialized in handmade sterling silver beads since the 1970s, carrying forward a family tradition that spans multiple generations. She learned silversmithing from her paternal grandmother, Helen, who lived to the age of 108. Helen, in turn, learned from her father, Sam Silversmith—a name earned through his exceptional skill and the respect he held within the community.

Virginia and her husband, Morris, honored this heritage while adding their own creativity, producing beads in a wide range of styles, shapes, and sizes. Their work includes round beads, flat beads, melon beads, fluted beads, and saucer beads, strung in countless lengths and combinations. Like their ancestors, they begin by melting down scrap silver, rolling it into sheets, cutting shapes, doming each bead, stamping or shaping, punching holes, soldering the halves together, and then filing and buffing to either a high shine or a soft, oxidized satin patina.

Virginia Tso is among the few Navajo silversmiths today who still make sterling silver beads entirely by hand, preserving an art form that continues to shine brightly in the present while honoring the past.

Virginia Tso, all "decked out" in some of her creations, most notably, her large graduated Navajo Pearl necklace.

The Art and Legacy of Navajo Pearls  

Navajo Pearls are handmade sterling silver beads created through a meticulous, time-honored process that has been passed down through generations of Diné (Navajo) silversmiths. Unlike mass-produced silver beads, each Navajo Pearl is individually crafted by hand, resulting in subtle variations that reflect the maker’s skill, patience, and artistry. These slight imperfections are not flaws but rather hallmarks of authenticity.

Graduated Navajo Pearls with matching earrings

Stamped Navajo Pearls

Saucer and Bead Navajo Pearls with matching earrings

The traditional process begins by melting heavy-gauge sterling silver and rolling it into flat sheets of uniform thickness. From these sheets, small circular discs are carefully cut. Each bead is made from two discs, and at this stage some artists choose to hand-stamp designs into the silver while it is still flat.

After cutting out circles of silver, the dapping process begins with this block. The tool in the right hand is the dapper, used to round out the silver into a dome.

There are two discs that have already been domed sitting on the bench and one that is waiting to be dapped or domed.

Next comes doming, also known as dapping. Each disc is hammered into a half-sphere using doming tools and blocks. Once domed, a hole is punched at the center, and the two halves are precisely filed so they fit together seamlessly. The halves are then soldered together—often with solder placed inside the hole to ensure a clean, nearly invisible seam.

Virginia Tso is soldering the seams on her Navajo Beads that have been domed and had holes cut in the centers.

Here's a closeup of another soldering technique for soldering the two halves of the domes together.

Once the beads have been soldered then they need to be filed so that they are smooth. Then they can be polished.

After soldering, the beads are filed smooth, polished, and frequently oxidized using a sulfur-based solution to create a dark patina. This oxidation enhances the beads’ antique appearance and highlights any stamped or textured designs. Finally, the finished beads are strung onto wire or chain to form necklaces, bracelets, or earrings.

Because this process is so labor-intensive, authentic Navajo Pearls are highly valued. The time, craftsmanship, and cultural knowledge involved set them apart from machine-made versions, even though the term “Navajo Pearls” is sometimes loosely applied to similar-looking beads produced without traditional methods.

The Meaning Behind Navajo Pearls

Beyond their beauty, Navajo Pearls carry deep cultural significance. They represent tradition, creativity, resilience, and a strong connection to heritage and nature. Each bead tells a story—of the hands that shaped it and the generations that preserved the craft. Navajo Pearls are not simply jewelry; they are living symbols of history and identity, a legacy that can be proudly worn.