Apache “Spirits of the Rock” Silver and Brass Cuff Bracelet by Jan Loco [SOLD]

This “Spirits of the Rock” cuff bracelet was made by Apache jeweler Jan Loco.  Weighing 5.9 ounces, it is a substantial piece of jewelry.  It’s a wide cuff with an appealing textural treatment on the outside and a totally smooth inside.  A brass spiral is placed near one edge, and three arrowhead petroglyph-style designs point out to the opposite edge.

The inside is signed “J. Loco,” marked with a cross design, and titled “Spirits of the Rock.”

Jan Loco (b.1949-) began making jewelry in 1988. She developed a unique method of creating jewelry without the use of any power tools.  Using only heavy-duty shears, she would cut and fashion her pieces to the desired shape, after which she would hammer them with a specially selected rock until she achieved the desired texture.  This is a laborious task, but she felt it honored her ancestry to use items of nature rather than power tools.

Jan Loco became interested in Apache symbolism and legend when, as a young adult, she discovered her Apache ancestry. Her work is inspired by the stories of her ancestors, incorporating designs reflecting the heavens, Apache legends, as well as plants and animals of the Apache homeland.  She did not learn of her Warm Springs Apache heritage from her adoptive parents until she was an adult. It was then that she learned she was the great granddaughter of Chief Loco, one of the last of the Apache chiefs, who had been imprisoned in Florida in 1886 by the U. S. government.  Jan Loco no longer is making jewelry.  She moved from New Mexico some years ago and her whereabouts are unknown.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Apache "Spirits of the Rock" Silver and Brass Cuff Bracelet by Jan Loco is from the collection of an East Coast museum

Recommended Reading: Contemporary Southwestern Jewelry by Diana Pardue