Sammy Smith (dec) Navajo calsilica wolf fetish carving. 1 7/8" x 3 1/2" #RG10
Deceased Navajo carver Sammy Smith created this wolf in calsilica, a substance that has been controversial in the past, but is now broadly accepted as a legitimate carving material, not unlike laboratory-formed opal and stabilized turquoise. (See Additional Info)
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1 7/8” x 3 1/2” #RG10
Additional Info
In 2003, the Swiss Gemological Institute ( www.SSEF.ch ) published an article on Calsilica in their newsletter. SSEF purchased two specimens at a mineral show in France in 20SSEF’s testing found that the base white materials were indeed calcite. However, they also found man-made coloring pigments within the specimens. and that the particles were bonded together by a transparent soft, plastic-like material.