In the Andes mountains at elevations of more than 12,000 feet, open trenches accessible only by mule yield gleaming stones, including lapis lazuli, the national stone of Chile. The Inca kingdom flourished in this part of the world, and today jewelers in family-owned shops in Santiago draw on geometric Inca designs to create pieces that blend history and geography into wearable art. The tapered forms of these lapis lazuli, turquoise, jasper, chrysocolla, and pyrite stones, outlined in sterling silver, echo the shape of ancient stone doorways found at Incan ruins.

17'' L.