Tufa Casting Technique

Since 1971, Harpo, the company dedicated to Native American jewelry, has been offering unique sterling silver jewelry set with superb turquoise from the Southwestern United States. Discover an ancestral technique handed down from generation to generation: Tufa Casting.

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History and origins of tufa casting

Native American people have been creating jewelry for hundreds of years, long before the arrival of the Spanish. These tribal artists had already mastered the art of hand-carving beads from materials like turquoise, of course, but also from shells or even wood.

However, it wasn’t until the mid-19th century that some Native Americans learned metalworking techniques from the Mexicans. The Navajo were the first to pour molten silver into what is known as “tufa stone” – a compacted volcanic ash sediment.


By the late 1870s, this material had become favored due to its softness, making it easier to carve than sandstone. Still, it requires a meticulous process involving several important steps. First, the tufa stone is cut to the size of the desired piece of jewelry. Then it is split into two halves, which are rubbed against each other to create a perfectly level surface. A cone-shaped hole is drilled at one end of the mold to allow the molten silver to be poured in, and additional channels are carved to let air escape. Next, the artist engraves their design into one side of the mold. When the molten silver is poured in, it fills the negative space of the design.

Today, modern tools like torches are commonly used. But back then, Native artisans would melt down coins in clay pots placed into the hot embers of a fire—and wait patiently for the metal to liquefy. (Such patience!)

Once cooled, the hardened piece is removed from the mold. The artist carefully sands and polishes it into its final shape, often keeping the natural porous texture of the tufa stone visible.

In most cases, the mold breaks after being exposed to high heat, making each piece one of a kind.

Discover our marvelous Tufa jewelry made by numerous Navajo artists: a piece shaped at high temperature, ready to break the codes of jewelry. Click here.

The difference between "sand cast" and "cement casting":

Compressed sand, still soft like damp cement, allows for the molding of existing pieces. Molten silver is poured into the sand mold to reproduce the shape. This method typically allows for two or three copies of a design. So don't miss out on our beautiful sand cast pieces. Always beautiful, always full of life.

Cement casting, on the other hand, makes it possible to cast many more pieces, as the dried cement mold is far more durable and doesn’t break like the delicate tufa mold.

As you can see, the tufa cast technique is as rich as it is fascinating.

Still practiced today by many Amerindian craftsmen, mainly Navajo artists, it offers unique creative freedom.

But that's just the beginning!

You'll discover a whole range of styles: meticulous work in sterling silver, sublimated by magnificent American turquoise - like the mythical Sleeping Beauty - or other precious stones, making each jewel rare... and precious.

And what about the shapes!

Influenced by traditions handed down from generation to generation: bracelets or rings adorned with Kachina, Naja, and a multitude of motifs emblematic of Amerindian culture.

A truly immersive experience... through jewelry.

But if you want to understand it all, see it all, touch it all (with your eyes, of course), why not come and pester us directly in the boutique?

We'll tell you all about this ancestral technique, with more stories... and a LOT more jewels.

Enough to get you hooked.

 19 rue Turbigo - 75002 Paris