Navajo Sand Cast Diné Silver Bracelet with Turquoise Gemstone [SOLD]

Before a cast bracelet such as this one can be made by an artisan, he or she must first fashion a mold from a whitish sandstone rock, hard enough to withstand the hot metal without splitting and yet soft enough to be grooved into the wanted design. Today, these can be purchased at local jewelry supply stores, but in earlier days, the artisan searched the Reservation for suitable rock and carved the desired design himself. When one of these molds broke, perhaps from not having been warm enough to receive the molten silver, it was a minor tragedy. Today, it is a slight inconvenience. Now, a new one can be purchased on the next trip into town.

This bracelet was cast in a single flat mold then curved into shape after being removed from the mold. It would have then been hand cleaned and polished to a luscious sheen. The turquoise cab was set in a silver bezel at the center of the bracelet.

Note: when we say Diné, as opposed to Navaho or Navajo, we are referring to the people and not the government.  Since 1969, their government refers to itself as the Navajo Nation. 

Condition: this Navajo Sand Cast Diné Silver Bracelet with Turquoise Gemstone is in original excellent condition. Its exact age is unknown, but it probably dates to the 1980s. It does not have a jeweler’s signature or stamp.

Provenance: ex. coll. Santa Fe Southwest Indian Jewelry collector

Reative Links: SOUTHWEST INDIAN JEWELRY, Navajo Nation, Bracelets

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