TUFA CASTING

 

 
 
 
 
 

Many of the pieces in our Fall 2021 collection employ the use of tufa casting. Collaborative in its origin, the technique was taught by the Spanish to the Indians in exchange for livestock dating back to the mid to late 1800's.

 
 
 
 

After carving designs into the petrified ash, old silver coins would be melted down and made into the artifacts still collected today. Each cast is truly a one-of-a-kind. Though tufa casting has a rich history in Southwest turquoise jewelry making, only a few still utilize it today.

 
 
 

Like a fingerprint, each piece made with Tufa inherits a natural texture and grit from the stone. It can be easily removed but we think preserving it gives each piece its own unique story — married to the earth from which all materials originally came from.

 
 
Chad BarelaTufa, casting