Large silver cuff bracelet with applied design elements and a large turquoise stone / Native American; Navajo (Diné)
Essay/Description
Cuff bracelet with a large oval bezel-set cabochon turquoise stone. The cuff is formed from sheet silver that was incompletely sawn into six sections that were then spread wide in the center to support the back of the large bezel attached by solder. The ends of the cuff were not sawn through and remain in sheet form. Silver decoration made as separate pieces and applied with solder include: feathers (or possibly leaves or insect wings), balls, twisted wire, and half circles formed of small gauge wire. The feather/wing decorations were likely die-stamped before application.The cuff ends were punched with tools in the shapes of circles, stepped triangles and pointed arches.