Diné (Navajo) Sterling Silver and Turquoise Ring [SOLD]

The Navajo began making finger rings as early as the 1860s, shortly after they began working in silver. At first, rings were simple silver bands. Eventually, about 1880, they began to set simple stones in the silver bands and to apply stamped designs.

This ring is unique in that there was not a separate bezel soldered to the ring as a mount for the turquoise; rather, the turquoise cabochon is set into the ring itself. Each side of the ring has a stamped design resembling V’s, circles, and clouds. The softness of the design as a result of long wear indicates that the ring dates to the first quarter of the 20^th century. This is a very collectible historic ring.

Condition: The turquoise stone is cracked in a couple places but is secure in the ring. The silver has taken on a beautiful patina from age. Someone wrapped leather around the shank in order to reduce the size of the ring for a good fit. The size 7-1/2 we have indicated above is with the leather in place. If it was removed, the ring size would most likely be closer to 8-1/2.

Provenance: From the estate of Transcendental artist Florence Pierce of Albuquerque who passed away in 2007 at the age of 89. She was best known for luminescent paintings made of pigmented resins on reflective surfaces. Her interest in abstraction began in the 1930s when she was an associate of the Transcendental Painting Group. The New York Times called her “the doyenne of abstract art in the Southwest” following her art exhibit in New York City in 2006.