Early 20th Century Silver and Turquoise Navajo Bracelet [SOLD]

The Navajo Silver and Turquoise bracelet was made by a master Diné craftsman with good design concepts and good technical skills.  The design is that of early Navajo bracelet style and it announces its vintage with pride.  The bracelet is a very early 20th century creation.  It was made from ingot silver, which is thicker than today’s sheet silver. The foundation is solid on the ends and split into three branches in the middle.  Each of the end pieces was beautifully stamped with traditional designs.

On the top center is a rich blue with brown matrix turquoise cab in oval shape.  It was set in a silver bezel and anchored to a silver platform whose ends are miniature silver drops and whose edge is scalloped.  This platform was then attached to the bracelet platform.  At the bends of the bracelet are dark green turquoise cabs anchored in a similar manner as was the large cab.  Between the three stones is a V-shape silver wire with scrolled ends.

This bracelet was purchased by a friend from a pawn shop at Gallup and he brought it to us. There is no pawn ticket, but we trust his word. Gallup, New Mexico, is still a town to which Navajo travel and pawn their personal jewelry for ready cash.  Sometimes, the owner will return and retrieve the pawn jewelry, until needed for another time. Equally, sometimes, the owner never returns to claim the property and the pawn company is free to sell it. Many decades ago, an actual pawn ticket was transferred to the new owner when a purchase was made.  Today, more frequently, the item is put out for sale without the pawn ticket, but the item is still referred to as “pawn jewelry.”

Condition: this Early 20th Century Silver and Turquoise Navajo Bracelet is in very good condition

Provenance: from pawn shop at Gallup, New Mexico

Recommended Reading: The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths by John Adair

Relative Links: Bracelets, Navajo, jewelry

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