Navajo Single Band Twisted Silver and Wire Bracelet by Diné Silversmith [SOLD]

Twisted wire was one of the first Navajo jewelry styles adapted by early Diné smiths. Bracelets made from twisted wires of copper or brass as ornaments for both men and women were documented in reports from the time when the people were incarcerated at Bosque Redondo.  A narrow section of silver twisted wire spirals between a larger solid twisted silver band in this classic Diné bracelet. The twisted wire contrasts with the smooth finish of the solid silver giving the bracelet a modern, stylish look. 

It is not known for sure when the Diné began to work with silver. Some reports claim they were working in silver before the Long Walk, others claim it was shorty after their return to the reservation in July, 1868. The Long Walk of the Navajo, also called the Long Walk to Bosque Redondo refers to the 1864 deportation and attempted ethnic cleansing of the Diné by the government of the United States. The Diné were forced to walk from their land in what is now Arizona to eastern New Mexico. The attempt by the government to force them into a different lifestyle was not successful and the people were allowed to return to the reservation. It was one of the few times in United States history where Native people were allowed to return to their original homeland.  

According to Bedinger, “The basic metalworking techniques, then, that the Navajos had learned by the time they left the Bosque in 1868 were how to cut wire, how to flatten and thin by pounding, how to engrave patterns by scratching them on the surface with an awl or by gouging them out with a cold chisel, how to stamp simple designs with the use of crude dies, and how to twist metal wire.” This twisted wire bracelet is a modern take on a Diné design that is more than one hundred and fifty years old. The bracelet is unsigned.

Condition: The Navajo Single Band Twisted Silver and Wire Bracelet by Diné Silversmith is in very good condition.

Provenance: From a member of the Maisel family from Albuquerque

Recommended Reading:

- Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers by Margery Bedinger  

- A Brief History of Navajo Silversmithing by Arthur Woodward

Relative Links: Navajo Nation, Jewelry