Chiseled Silver Cuff Bracelet with Blue Gem Turquoise [R]

This very substantial ingot silver bracelet had its beginnings with a block of silver being placed into a mold. While the silver was melting in the crucible, borax was sprinkled on top to act as a flux, and the moment the silversmith thought it looked right it was poured into the mold to cool and harden a bit. At that time, it was lifted from the mold with pliers and held in position on an anvil and hammered slowly into the first semblance of the shape it was to assume.

So that the pounding could proceed at the same temperature, thus avoiding cracks in the metal, it was necessary to warm it again at frequent intervals. When the shaped silver was ready for ornamentation, a three-cornered file was used to etch the lines across the face of the bracelet. On very old bracelets, there were often no more attempts at decoration than this.

In the case of this bracelet, a beautiful blue gem turquoise stone was destined as the centerpiece of decoration. To accommodate the stone, a silver bezel was fashioned and soldered to a silver base plate. The stone was then securely anchored with the bezel.

This bracelet is stamped with a torpedo-like feather hallmark and the word STERLING. This exact feather hallmark is not shown in Barton Wright