Fred Harvey Style Silver Stamped Band with Single Stone [R]

In the late 19th century, when *Fred Harvey opened his hotels along the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (just to name one railway - there were many - see below) from Chicago to Los Angeles, he stocked his gift shops with merchandise that was created with the esthetic of the tourists who were traveling in mind. Traditional Navajo jewelry featured large stones set in substantial settings of silver. The silver was heavy and the stones generally large, as silver and turquoise were valuable to the Navajo. The pieces that were made especially for the traveler to take home as a souvenir of their Southwest adventure were more delicate. They were not as expensive as traditional Navajo jewelry and appealed more to the tastes of the Southwest travelers. The souvenir pieces used fine, intricate stamp work to decorate the silver with added small pieces of turquoise.

This well-made stamped bracelet is a perfect example of a classic Fred Harvey Company bracelet. The designs were created using only two stamps—a triangular shape and a small dot.  The artist used these to make diamond shapes creating a Navajo rug design with stars. A lovely, small piece of turquoise rests on the top of the bracelet set in a handmade bezel.

Condition: The Fred Harvey Style Silver Stamped Band with Single Stoneis in very good condition. It has acquired a patina that can only occur after years of loving wear.

Provenance: From a Colorado collector

Recommended Reading:  Indian Jewelry of the American Southwest by Sarah Peabody and William A. Turnbaugh

*Frederick Henry Harvey (June 27, 1835 – February 9, 1901) was an entrepreneur who developed the Harvey House lunch rooms, restaurants, souvenir shops, and hotels, which served rail passengers on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, the Gulf Coast and Santa Fe Railway, the Kansas Pacific Railway, the St. Louis-San Francisco Railway, and the Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis.

Digital Image Source: Frederick Henry Harvey (June 27, 1835 - February 9, 1901) Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia