Sterling Silver and Hubbell Square Glass Ring with Bell Company Logo [SOLD]

C4117-04-ring2.jpg

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Jeweler Once Known
  • Category: Jewelry Rings
  • Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
  • Medium: Sterling Silver and Hubbell Glass
  • Size: ⅞” x ⅝”;
    Ring Size: 8
  • Item # C4117.04
  • SOLD

Inside the ring the Bell Trading Company hallmark and “Sterling” are stamped. This 1940s Diné ring contains all of the attributes associated with tourist jewelry made during the mid-twentieth century.  The shank has a stamped thunderbird and standing man. The rectangular turquoise-color Hubbell Glass is securely set in a straight edge bezel. Bell Trading Company made tourist jewelry in sterling silver, copper and nickel silver. Inside the ring the Bell Trading Company hallmark and “Sterling” are stamped. The workmanship and the sterling silver content make this ring an attractive example of  jewelry sold along the “Mother Road.”

Like a lot of people during the Great Depression, Jack Michelson had to figure a way to make a living, so, in 1932, Michelson and his wife started up Bell Trading Company. They set up a trading post on Historic Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and sold to the tourists traveling west. Times were difficult and traders were always looking for ways to cut costs. One way that traders saved money was to use substitutes for turquoise.  Initially less expensive than natural turquoise, Hubbell Glass was mostly produced from the 1920s to the 1940s. Today, finding pieces with the turquoise substitute is relatively rare.


Condition: very good condition. There is smooth wear along the sides. The Hubble glass is intact.

Provenance: this Sterling Silver and Hubbell Square Glass Ring with Bell Company Logo is from a Colorado collector

Recommended Reading: Native American Curio Trade in New Mexico by Jonathan Batkin

Relative Links: Navajo-DinéringsSouthwest Indian Jewelry 

Alternate view of this ring.

Jeweler Once Known
  • Category: Jewelry Rings
  • Origin: Diné of the Navajo Nation
  • Medium: Sterling Silver and Hubbell Glass
  • Size: ⅞” x ⅝”;
    Ring Size: 8
  • Item # C4117.04
  • SOLD

C4117-04-ring2.jpgC4117-04-large2.jpg Click on image to view larger.