We have similar Turquoise and Native American items, which would pair nicely with this piece, for sale this week. Listing description by: Angela A. Markings : Unmarked, tested, and guaranteed.
Main stone : Number Eight Turquoise. Color: opaque green hue with black spiderwebbing.
Stone treatment : The stone(s) appear to be untreated, but we are not certified gemologists. Stone(s) have been tested and guaranteed using a professional Presidium Duo refractive, heat, and hardness tester. Stone cuts : Carved and polished cabochon. Handmade in the 1930s, the Fred Harvey era, by a talented Native American silversmith.
900 sterling silver, also known as coin silver, a popular purity of silver during this time. Beautiful, rare Number Eight turquoise stone rests in a bezel setting. A rope twist design frames the stone, while six silver beads accent the tri-split shoulders. Hand-hammered, stamped arrow and feather designs adorn the band.Split shoulders flow into the smooth, polished band for secure wear. Tarnish on the sterling silver gives the piece an antique quality we believe is rather lovely, but tarnish can be removed with a buffing, if desired. The price has been reduced to reflect this. This listing is for the item only.
This beautiful piece was made by a very talented Native American silversmith. It features handcrafted silversmith work throughout. Antique Native American jewelry is very rare to find. This is due to these pieces being made for reservation and personal use before the tourist trade became popular. Very few pieces were made and even less survived to today.
The Navajo Nation sits on 27,000 square miles within the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The Navajo have a rich history and culture and have become known for creating some of the finest sterling silver and turquoise jewelry, incorporating their own traditional motifs with silversmithing. The squash blossom necklace is perhaps one the most famous Navajo styles produced, along with turquoise inlay rings. Turquoise is an important stone in Navajo culture; symbolizing happiness, good fortune, and good health. The first Navajo silversmith, Atsidi Sani, was taught around 1865 by a Mexican silversmith.
Atsidi Sani, in turn, taught his four sons, who then started teaching other Navajo artisans. In the beginning, Navajo artisans created sterling silver jewelry for themselves and others in the Navajo Nation. The concept of Pawn, Old Pawn, and Dead Pawn Native American Jewelry came to be in the 1800s. When a loan wasn't repaid, the item became known as either "Old Pawn" or Dead Pawn. Turquoise is found all over the world and has been a popular semi-precious stone used in jewelry and art for thousands of years by many different cultures; from prehistoric times to the present.
Turquoise comes in many beautiful color variations; from the popular bright solid sky-blue hues to dark blue hues with dark spiderwebbing throughout, as well as aqua, teal, and many green varieties, and even some rare white with dark spiderwebbing. 8 was first mined in Nevada in 1929 until the mine was fully depleted.
It is famous for its fine golden-brown to black spiderweb matrix, with a background that ranges from powder blue to deep blue; with deep blue being the most desired. Since this turquoise is no longer available, and because of its high demand, it is very rare. Navajo silversmiths, working from 1870 to 1900, learned about stamping from Mexican leather workers, and adopted this to their metal working. Artisans made their own stamps that were passed down to each generation. Stampings are usually hand hammered using handcrafted or die stamps and include traditional Native American symbols, such as sunbursts, to ornate landscapes. This technique has been passed on and utilized by other Native American tribes and continues to be a popular method of jewelry making. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Rings". The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in this country: US.This item can be shipped worldwide.