Navajo (Diné) Silver and Turquoise Single Row Bracelet [SOLD]
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- Category: Bracelets
- Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
- Medium: silver, turquoise
- Size: 5-1/2” inside end-to-end;
1-3/8” opening; ½” width - Item # C3606C SOLD
Kirk Smith passed away tragically in September 2012 in Albuquerque. He was one of the finest of today’s Navajo jewelers. He specialized in producing the old style pawn jewelry with heavy silver stock, most likely ingot silver.
This southwest jewelery bracelet features a silver band with 11 oval and domed turquoise cabs with a beautiful display of copper matrix. In addition to using the finest stones, Kirk did not skimp on the design of the silver. In this bracelet, he concealed the design on the inside of the silver, which features a pair of zigzag lines locked within each other. Another different innovation is the manner in which he signed the bracelet. On the exterior end of the silver band on one side is stamped STERLING and on the end on the other side is stamped KIRK SMITH. He hid the design but revealed the signature, just the opposite of what most jewelers would do.
Recommended Reading: Indian Silver Jewelry of the Southwest: 1868-1930 by Frank and Holbrook. This book is not currently available from Adobe Gallery.
Condition: very good condition with one small abrasion on the silver band
Provenance: from a gentleman in Colorado
- Category: Bracelets
- Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
- Medium: silver, turquoise
- Size: 5-1/2” inside end-to-end;
1-3/8” opening; ½” width - Item # C3606C SOLD
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