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At a Glance:

Design: Mid-Century trading post Navajo turquoise cluster sterling pin brooch with hand-laid rosette construction
Stone: Thirty high-domed turquoise cabochons consistent with Persian material
Color: Fine spiderweb matrix with natural variation, spread across a cluster that ranges from sky to vivid blues
Accent: Handmade and hand-assembled rope details with silver shots
Metal: .925 sterling silver (unmarked)
Attribution: Engraved TT | Tobe Turpen trading post 
Era: Circa 1950s, postwar trading-post period
Status: Shop-marked turquoise cluster, unmarked silver pin brooch associated with Navajo work (not artist-signed)
Condition: Excellent — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: medium-large statement pin best suited for light denim and similar jackets, mantas, or scarves — structured fabrics with enough support for its weight
• Center turquoise: 1/4" x 5/16" (bezel to bezel)
• Diameter: 2 3/8"
• Weight: 41 grams — substantial for a brooch

Gallery Note: 

This turquoise cluster brooch carries the quiet authority collectors look for in trading-post jewelry: a hand-built turquoise cluster, a substantial silver backplate, original pin assembly, and a maker's mark associated with a historical Gallup trading post.

The bezels were hand-formed, the cabochons were hand-assembled, and the stones were individually placed in concentric rings with a clear center point. The layout achieves the kind of symmetry only a human hand can produce — balanced in overall composition, with natural variations in spacing, dome height, stone shape, and accent alignment that come from working by eye rather than by template. That hand-laid quality gives the brooch a sense of order without stiffness — a balanced cluster with the natural rhythm of the era's bench-made work.

The matched turquoise brings brightness and depth to the composition. Color moves from a softer sky-blue to more saturated shades, with a fine spiderweb matrix visible throughout the cluster. A longtime former owner of a Southwestern trading post, familiar with vintage turquoise, identified the material as likely Persian turquoise based on dome style, character, and period context. The attribution was subsequently confirmed by SCJ's appraiser, and it's therefore presented as an informed visual assessment by two industry professionals, rather than a laboratory origin analysis. While Iranian turquoise is most famous for a clear robin's egg appearance, documented examples show spiderweb Persian turquoise developed a following of its own in the U.S. According to reference material, the import of Persian turquoise began in the early 1890s and continued until 1979, when the U.S. implemented the first major wave of trade sanctions, cutting off most direct imports from Iran.

The silverwork supports the cluster without distracting from it. The heavier backplate gives the brooch substance, while handmade rope details and silver balls add texture and dimension between the stones. The original pin assembly and unmarked silver content are consistent with older Native American jewelry made for trading-post circulation, where shop marks, purity stamps, and artist signatures were not always applied with modern consistency.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

This brooch is stamped TT on the reverse — a mark documented in reference sources as the retail shop control mark of Tobe Turpen’s Trading Post in Gallup, New Mexico. It is a shop mark, not an artist’s signature, and does not identify the individual maker.

That distinction matters. A related mark — a tilde, sometimes accompanied by TT — is associated with Fred Thompson (1922–2002), a Diné silversmith whose career began at age 15 working for Turpen and whose jewelry remained closely tied to the post through the 1950s. This brooch carries the plain TT mark, without the tilde, placing it with the shop’s control mark rather than Thompson’s personal hallmark.

The Turpen family story reaches back to the early 1900s, when Tobe Turpen Sr. came west from Texas and entered the trading business through family connections in Arizona. He worked in reservation trade settings, learned the Navajo language at Blue Canyon, moved through the Gallup network, and in 1939 opened his own post in a building purchased from J. L. Hubbell on North Third Street.

After World War II, Tobe Turpen Jr. joined his father in the business and later took ownership in the mid-1950s. As highway construction and changing travel routes reshaped Gallup, the post eventually relocated from North Third Street to South Second Street. During the boom years of Native American jewelry collecting, Tobe Turpen’s supplied retailers far beyond Gallup and built a strong reputation among dealers for quality material, active trade relationships, and steady jewelry placement.

The reverse of this brooch adds another layer to that working history. In addition to the TT shop mark, the back shows a scratched notation that appears to read “MIOE” or similar, with a small cross mark below it, along with remnants of two old paper tags. These are consistent with practical shop, pawn, inventory, or resale notations — the kind of back-of-piece marks used as jewelry moved through retail and trading channels. They are not maker’s marks and do not change the attribution.

This is where the broader story comes into focus. Rail and highway travel helped introduce Native American and Southwestern silverwork to a wider public, but Gallup posts helped sustain the production networks behind it. They connected makers, materials, buyers, wholesalers, and retailers at the point where jewelry was still being shaped by hand, stone by stone and setting by setting.

For collectors, that matters because jewelry associated with mid-century trading-post production often retains the character of individual bench work rather than strict duplication from a single master pattern. This brooch reflects that moment: demand was expanding, the market was reaching farther, but fabrication still depended on the maker’s eye and hand. SCJ presents the piece as a Tobe Turpen-associated, Navajo-made turquoise cluster brooch from the postwar Gallup trading-post period, with no individual maker assigned.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

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At a Glance:

Design: Bold single-stone turquoise cuff on an open split shank
Stone: Turquoise cabochon consistent with Nevada material
Color: Vivid blue-green over golden-brown host rock, the matrix forming irregular islands
Accent: Applied chased feather motifs flanking the centerpiece
Metal: .925 sterling silver (unmarked)
Attribution: Construction and design consistent with Navajo work
Status: Unsigned single-stone turquoise cuff, no purity stamp
Condition: Very Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: medium statement cuff with grounded presence
• Turquoise: 1 11/16" x 1" (bezel to bezel)
• Face width: 2 1/16"
• Inside length: 5 1/2"
• Gap: 1 1/16"
• Total inside circumference: 6 9/16" (L per SCJ size guide)
• Weight: 63.4 grams

Gallery Note:

This bracelet is built around a single commanding stone.

The cabochon presents a saturated blue-green field over golden-brown host rock, the matrix forming irregular islands across the surface — contrast and depth without visual weight. In direct light the blue-green teal hues open; indoors the blue palette prevails. The golden-brown matrix holds steady regardless of light.

The surrounding silverwork stays restrained, its quiet, smooth finish keeping every eye on the stone. Built from solid-gauge stock, the open split shank balances the composition while supporting the centerpiece, and the applied feather motifs — chased for texture and dimension — introduce a traditional element within a controlled, uncluttered design. There is a clear sense of presence here, yet the cuff maintains a composed profile: a bold single-stone piece with defined structure and proportion.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

The cuff is unsigned and carries no purity stamp. Its construction and design — the open split shank, the applied chased feather work, and the single-stone presentation — are consistent with Navajo silversmithing, and SCJ presents the attribution on that construction evidence alone.

Unsigned work is common across vintage Southwestern silver, where hallmarking practices varied widely from maker to maker and decade to decade. The absence of a mark is noted plainly here and is reflected in the attribution language used throughout this listing.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

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At a Glance

Design: Native American turquoise spider cuff bracelet with spider & raised web motif
Stone: Turquoise cabochon consistent with Kingman material
Color: Saturated blue turquoise with minimal tan-gray matrix and light pyrite
Accent: Dimensional spider motif with stampwork and chasing, large sawtooth bezel, rope frame, raised web wirework, and silver drop accents
Metal: .925 sterling silver (unmarked)
Attribution: Navajo spider detail with Anglo webbed shank
Era: 1970s
Status: Unsigned and unstamped turquoise spider cuff bracelet
Condition: Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: medium statement cuff with wide rectangular wrist coverage and dimensional spider-and-web presence
• Stone: 9/16 x "3/8 (bezel to bezel)
• Face width: 1 3/8"
• Inside length: 5 7/16" 
• Gap: 1 1/8"
• Total inside circumference: approx. 6 11/16" (M per SCJ size guide)
• Weight: 47.1 grams
  

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

This bracelet is unsigned and carries no visible sterling stamp. The Navajo attribution is based on the spider appliqué’s silver construction, including the stamped and chased detailing, dimensional body, and hand-fabricated elements around the turquoise setting.

The cuff body and raised webbed shank show Anglo influence and/or collaboration, as determined through SCJ’s professional evaluation process. This piece is therefore presented as a Navajo-Anglo turquoise spider cuff rather than a straightforward single-maker Navajo bracelet.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

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At a Glance:

Design: Native American extra-large turquoise cluster cross pendant with balanced cluster placement and elongated cross form
Stone: Eleven green turquoise cabochons consistent with Nevada material
Color: Green, smoky teal, olive, and blue-green tones with black, reddish-brown, and yellow matrix
Accent: Silver beads at the stone settings
Metal: .925 sterling silver
Artist: Signed E. A. | Evelyn Anderson, Navajo silversmith
Era: Late 20th century
Status: Signed vintage Native American jewelry piece
Condition: Very Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: extra-large statement pendant — covers upper chest area when worn with choker-length Navajo pearls (not included)
• Largest stone: 7/8" x 1/2" (bezel to bezel)
  
• Width: 3"
• Length: 4 5/8"
  
• Bail: open shepherd's hook designed for direct attachment to heavy-gauge chains, such as foxtail-strung Navajo pearls.
• Weight: 29.9 grams

Gallery Note:

This extra-large Navajo turquoise cross pendant is centered on eleven green cabochons arranged across a substantial sterling silver framework. The stones carry a deep, earthy green palette with scattered blue accents, while black, reddish-brown, and yellow matrix moves through the surface like desert mineral veining. A light polish preserves the stones’ organic character and allows their natural variation to remain central to the piece.

The silverwork is strong and architectural, providing the structure needed to maintain its bold cross form while allowing the turquoise to remain the visual center. The elongated shepherd’s hook bail adds quiet versatility, making the piece suitable for heavier silver chains, multi-strand beads, or Navajo pearls.

Balanced in composition and commanding in scale, this pendant reflects the collector appeal of vintage Navajo jewelry: expressive stone character, confident silver construction, and a meaningful connection to a living tradition of family-taught silversmithing.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

This pendant is signed and attributed to Navajo silversmith Evelyn Anderson. Anderson is referenced in Native jewelry market sources as part of a multigenerational Navajo silversmithing family and as the mother of noted artisan Aaron Anderson, who learned silverwork within the family from Evelyn Anderson and Wilfred Henry.

Public biographical information appears limited, and similar initials or surname marks can overlap in Native jewelry references. This attribution is presented cautiously based on the signature, comparable market examples, and available family-lineage references.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

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At a Glance

Design: Native American signed spiderweb turquoise cuff bracelet with clean three-tine Navajo construction and a stone-forward face
Stone: Spiderweb turquoise cabochon consistent with Indian Mountain
Color: Soft green and faint teal cells moving through dark brown host rock
Accent: Decorative segmented outer border
Metal: .925 sterling silver (unmarked)
Artist: Signed G | Gilbert Damon, Navajo silversmith
Era: Late 20th century (1970-80s)
Status: Signed Navajo spiderweb turquoise cuff bracelet
Condition: Very Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: visually bold cuff with a comfortable open fit and strong centerpiece presence
• Stone: 1 5/8" x 1 5/16" (bezel to bezel)
• Face width: 1 7/8"
• Inside length: 5 1/4"
• Gap: 1 1/4"
• Total inside circumference: 6 1/2"
• Weight: 60.8 grams

Gallery Note:

This signed Navajo cuff is defined by its turquoise: a richly webbed cabochon with teal-green cells moving through dark brown host rock. A complex and yet well-balanced matrix, with enough open green ground for the stone to read clearly and hold its presence on the wrist.

Damon’s silverwork keeps the setting clean and focused. A sawtooth bezel secures the cabochon and adds fine texture at the edge, while the stepped geometric border gives the face structure without crowding the stone. The three-tine shank is smooth, open, and deliberately understated, letting the turquoise remain the center of the design.

Reference and market examples more commonly associate Damon with chip inlay, making this large bezel-set spiderweb turquoise cuff a less common example of his documented range. For collectors, that contrast adds to its appeal — a signed Damon Gilbert in a stone-forward setting with restrained Navajo construction is a rare find. 

Collector-minded without excess, this cuff earns its presence through the character of the stone and the clarity of the silverwork design.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

This bracelet is signed with Gilbert Damon's hallmark — a stylized capital G, also associated in reference materials with the initials GD. His angular initial signature is reported to have been introduced around 1975, supporting the late-20th-century placement of this piece.

Damon was born June 20, 1930, in Fort Defiance, Arizona, into the Tsi'naajinii (Black Streak Wood People Clan), born for Tódich'ii'nii (Bitter Water Clan). He attended BIA Indian School in Fort Defiance, the Albuquerque Indian School, and Chilocco Indian School in Chilocco, Oklahoma.

He served in the Korean War — one of approximately 10,000 Native Americans who answered that call, many of them veterans of World War II as well, whose service and sacrifice remain an enduring part of this nation's history. He later spent 20 to 25 years employed with the Navajo Forest Products Industry in the Sawmill region in Arizona. He was a silversmith and family man who loved his children. He passed away on April 15, 2016, in Payson, Arizona.

Reference materials and market examples most commonly document Damon's work in chip inlay — crushed turquoise, coral, and related materials set into recessed silver channels, often with etched or oxidized geometric backgrounds. Authentic signed Damon pieces now enter the market through estate and secondary channels.

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At a Glance:

Design: Late Harvey Era Silver Arrow sterling silver cuff bracelet with oval turquoise cabochon, split shank construction, and applied silverwork
Stone: High-grade turquoise cabochon visually consistent with Nevada material
Color: Teal-blue turquoise with dark rust-brown matrix and deeper blue-green movement
Accent: Alternating silver beads, hollow circular appliqués, rope wire, stamped borders, and applied side panels
Metal: .925 sterling silver
Maker: Silver Arrow | a commercial workshop & manufacturer
Era: Circa 1940s
Status: Sterling silver turquoise cuff bracelet, hallmarked by the shop
Condition: Excellent — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: domed stone profile with visually substantial face and comfortable medium-scale wrist presence
• Stone: 7/8" x 1" (bezel to bezel)
• Face width: 1 1/2"
• Inside length: 5 5/8"
• Gap: 7/8"
• Total inside circumference: 6 1/2" (M per SCJ size guide)
• Weight: 35.7 grams

Gallery Note:

Many Harvey-era cuffs have survived. Far fewer still feel this alive today.

This signed Silver Arrow bracelet carries museum-caliber preservation and striking visual energy — from its luminous domed turquoise to the crisp silverwork and interior hallmark, all of it arriving eighty years later with unusual strength. A quiet conversation piece for the collector who notices.

The oval saturated cabochon rises in a smooth dome with a moody blue-green hue, dark rust-toned matrix, and a polished surface that still catches the light — more commanding than the small stones typically found in lighter tourist-period bracelets.

The silverwork earns equal attention. Rounded beadwork, well-defined circular appliqués, and textured rope wire panels build a face with genuine density — elaborate where most Harvey-era cuffs are simple, dimensional where others are flat.

What separates this cuff is how completely those qualities have held together: stone, silver, and hallmark intact, none softened by the decades. History and structure, worn in balance.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

This cuff is stamped STERLING and Silver Arrow on the interior. The sterling mark is crisply struck inside the fletched end of a long arrow that flows directly into the elegant cursive Silver Arrow hallmark running toward the arrow's tip — an exceptionally clean example of the signature.

Silver Arrow belongs to the mid-century Harvey jewelry story rather than to a single artisan signature — and its role in that story was significant. Rather than a destination shop where tourists stopped to browse, Silver Arrow operated as a major wholesale supplier, moving Indian-design silver jewelry through trade networks, curio shops, and commercial channels across the Southwest. In Fred Harvey Jewelry: 1900–1955, jewelry historian Dennis June documents Silver Products Manufacturing Co. of Kansas City, Missouri, as a prominent company producing silver Indian-design jewelry during the 1940s. June describes the company's evolving mark sequence and notes that Harvey jewelry bearing these stamps is enthusiastically collected today.

Three distinct stamp variations help place Silver Arrow pieces accurately within that history. The earliest, used in the late 1930s and early 1940s, is a blocky SILVER PRODUCTS COIN SILVER stamp paired with an arrow symbol, reflecting the company's origins in coin-alloy production. That practice was already fading by the time Silver Arrow emerged — Mexican peso melting had been largely phased out as coin export to the American Southwest was restricted, and sterling ingots in standardized sheet and wire form had become the industry standard. American coins had effectively left the jewelry bench decades earlier, when defacing U.S. currency was outlawed in 1890.

By the 1940s, Silver Arrow had transitioned to its second and most recognizable mark: the long running script Silver Arrow name paired with a STERLING stamp placed inside the arrow's fletching. This is the mark on this cuff, used extensively through the company's active Southwest trade routes. A third and final mark — a tighter corporate block stamp registered as SILVER ARROW-STERLING around 1950, recorded in registries including Lang Antiques — reflects the postwar period, when standardized retail classification reshaped how makers identified their work.

Because this cuff carries the long script-and-arrow hallmark with STERLING struck inside the feathered end, it aligns with the Stamp 2 production period, supporting a 1940s placement. That distinction matters to collectors because it links the bracelet to the company's most active Harvey-era output, not simply to the Silver Arrow name in general.

Secondary market research adds geographic depth to that placement. The workshop's production roots trace to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where it was established in 1938, with operations later relocating to San Luis, Colorado, before the company closed its commercial routes in the 1950s. Registered as a Midwestern business entity for distribution purposes, Silver Arrow's working history was distinctly Southwestern — and the jewelry reflects it. The company frequently employed machine-assisted die-striking to process sheet silver while relying on regional indigenous silversmiths for hand-stamping, stone-setting, and bench-finishing. This cuff, with its layered construction and carefully worked face, represents that collaborative process at a high level of execution.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected collector notes may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

Overview:

Circa 1970s, unsigned Navajo sterling silver cuff bracelet with turquoise chip mosaic inlay, a central wheel design, hand-engraved crescent borders, and a heavy-gauge convex shank.

At a Glance:

Vintage heavy-gauge turquoise chip inlay cuff consistent with Navajo work
Central turquoise wheel mosaic with flanking half panels
Crescent-textured engraved border & accents
One-of-a-kind period example — 89.5 grams

Bracelet Features:

• .925 sterling silver
• Inlaid crushed polychrome turquoise chips
• Heavy-gauge convex shank
• Engraved borders and terminals 
• Construction & design consistent with 1970s Navajo silverwork
• Unsigned
• Condition: Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Bracelet Specifications:

• Wear scale: medium with broad coverage and low profile
• Face width: 1 1/2"
• Inside length: 5 1/2"
• Gap: 1 3/16"
• Total inside circumference: 6 11/16" (S per SCJ size guide)
• Weight: 89.5 grams
  

ABOUT THIS PIECE: 

This vintage Navajo cuff centers on a repeating constellation of turquoise mosaics, each composed of small fragments of crushed stone fitted into hand-cut silver channels. Known as chip inlay, the method became a defining style in Navajo silversmithing in the 1970s and is closely associated with the work of the Singer family, especially Tommy Singer.

The wide sterling cuff began as a heavy sheet of silver, and it was subsequently hand-engraved before the stones were applied. The arched cuts provide a visual interruption to the inlay work, adding movement and depth across the shank. The crisp-textured crescents also appear along the borders and at the terminals, giving continuity to the composition. The result is a restrained design: a full central inlaid circle flanked by half-panels that highlight the varied hues of the stones and unify the cuff through symmetry and rhythm. 

As the cuff turns on the wrist, the surface shifts between precise geometry and sharply cut texture, giving the bracelet presence without relying on size or heavy ornamentation. Decades of wear have left a deep patina that emphasizes the engraved detail and contrast against the blue palette.

PERFECT FOR:

• Collectors drawn to early chip inlay work
• Navajo handmade jewelry collections
• Anyone who appreciates artisan mosaic jewelry
• Everyday wear with weight and presence
• Wearers who favor pattern over single-stone focus

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At a Glance:

Design: Mid-century Taxco sterling silver bracelet and ring set with sculptural botanical fern/frond motifs, a hinged clamper bracelet, and coordinating open-front ring
Metal: .925 sterling silver
Artist: Taxco silversmiths | bracelet maker’s mark partially faded and under research; ring hallmark partially struck
Era: Circa 1950s
Status: Vintage Taxco set with partially faded bracelet maker’s mark and partially struck ring hallmark; ring coordinates with the bracelet but is not an exact match
Condition: Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Bracelet Specifications: 

• Wear scale: wide sculptural presence without excess weight
• Terminal face width: 2 1/2"
• Inside length: 7 1/4"
• Total inside circumference: 6 3/4" - 7 1/2", adjustable via hinge closure & overlapping terminals (M-L per SCJ size guide)
  
• Weight: 55.7 grams

Ring Specifications:

• Wear scale: dramatic coordinating botanical motif & design
• Face width: 1.25"
• Size: 9 with slightly adjustable open front
• Weight: 5.9 grams

Gallery Note:

This vintage Taxco bracelet and ring set brings together bold mid-century silverwork with a sculptural botanical fern motif. The bracelet has a strong hinged clamper form, with overlapping terminals and high-relief frond detailing that gives the piece movement, dimension, and a confident wrist presence.

The coordinating ring echoes the same fern-inspired silver vocabulary while remaining a complementary companion rather than an exact match. Its open-front construction offers slight flexibility, making the set feel collected and organic rather than factory-paired.

The brighter sterling finish highlights the raised botanical contours and curled silverwork, giving the set a polished, wearable presence while preserving the character expected of fine vintage Taxco silver.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

The interior of the bracelet bears a partially faded circular Taxco maker’s mark. The outer ring appears to read STERLING 925 / TAXCO MEX, with overlapping central initials that may read LGP or LGPP. Research points to P. Lopez G. as a possible lead among documented Taxco silversmiths, but the stamp is not clear enough to confirm a named maker at this time.

The coordinating ring also bears a partially struck hallmark consistent with mid-century Taxco marking conventions. The stamp appears to have been partially cut off during production, leaving too little identifying detail to research or attribute the ring to a specific silversmith with confidence at this time.

Together, the marks, sterling content, hinged clamper construction, open-front ring form, and sculptural repoussé work support a mid-century Taxco attribution, circa 1950s. The maker remains under active research.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

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At a Glance:

Design: Native American cuff with a graduated three-stone turquoise arrangement and twisted flat-wire shank with eagle motifs
Stone: Natural turquoise consistent with Cerrillos material
Color: Green turquoise, ranging from deep forest green at the center to brighter open green at the shoulders
Accent: Applied eagle motifs flanking the side stones
Metal: .925 sterling silver (unmarked)
Attribution: Navajo work associated with the late Harvey Era
Era: Circa 1940s
Status: Unsigned and unstamped turquoise trio sterling cuff
Condition: Excellent — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: high profile, medium scale cuff — noticeable without excess
• Largest stone: approx. 3/4" (bezel to bezel)
• Face width: 1"
• Inside length: 5 1/4"
• Gap: 1 1/4"
• Total inside circumference: 6 1/2" (M per SCJ size guide)
• Weight: 37.3 grams

Gallery Note:

This late Harvey-era Navajo cuff centers on a classic trio of domed turquoise cabochons, arranged in graduated order with a clear central focus. The exquisite stones span the green palette, creating a color story closely associated with Cerrillos deposits, long prized for their rich hues and natural variation. Their high-luster surface and exceptionally preserved condition give the bracelet a refined presence.

The silverwork is restrained but assured. A heavy-gauge twisted flat-wire shank gives the cuff structure and tactile movement, while two small hand-chased eagle appliqués flank the side stones with quiet symmetry. With a 1" face and a high profile, this cuff has presence without becoming oversized. It's an elegant choice as a stand-alone or for layered pairings. Timeless and quietly expressive, it reflects the subtle confidence of mid-century Native American silverwork.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

This bracelet is unsigned and carries no silver purity stamp, a practice consistent with the norm of the period. The absence of a maker's mark is also common in pre-1970s silversmithing, when pieces were made for tourists, trading posts, and curio markets, with an emphasis on designs, wearability, and production rather than individual maker identification.

The attribution is based on the bracelet’s overall language. The three-stone layout, measured ornament, wearable proportion, and controlled design are elements associated with late Harvey-era silverwork created for understated sophistication rather than authorship. 

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

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At a Glance:

Design: Native American compact bolo tie with turquoise cabochon and claw, in a classic Western slide form
Stone: Turquoise visually consistent with Sleeping Beauty material 
Color: Saturated blue turquoise with minimal matrix
Accent: Genuine animal claw, visually consistent with bear based on morphology, framed by raised leaf appliqués
Metal: .925 sterling silver (unmarked)
Attribution: Consistent with Navajo work
Era: Likely 1980s
Status: Unsigned and unstamped vintage Native American bolo tie with clip-style clasp
Condition: Very Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: traditional small-to-medium bolo slide size
• Stone: 3/4" x 11/16" (bezel to bezel)
• Slide: 2 1/4" x 1 1/2"
• Total length (including tips): 45" 
• Cord: like-new black braided leather with light marks from installation through the slide clip
• Tips condition: gently worn with light patina
• Clasp: unmarked clip-style
• Weight: 51.1 grams
  

Gallery Note:

This handcrafted Native American bolo tie is unsigned, a detail consistent with many mid- to-late 20th century Navajo pieces. In the absence of a hallmark, the piece speaks through its materials, silverwork, and composition, which align with Diné jewelry traditions. The pairing of turquoise and claw has deep roots in Native American jewelry, bringing together stone, silver, and natural elements in a compact Western format.

The turquoise provides a vivid blue focus, while hand-chased leaf appliqués frame the composition with quiet restraint. The genuine animal claw features a warm honey-amber tone — lighter than the dark brown or near-black examples most collectors encounter. While the lighter color may initially suggest cougar, the morphology — specifically the broad base and gradual arc — is more consistent with bear, as mountain lion claws tend to be slender and more sharply curved. We present this claw here as genuine and visually consistent with a bear, with the lighter amber tone noted for collectors who want to examine it further.

Finished with black braided leather and gently patinated silver tips, this bolo has the grounded presence collectors look for in traditional Navajo work — symbolic, rooted in heritage, and timeless.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

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At a Glance:

Design: Native American stone-forward ring with elongated vertical turquoise cabochon
Stone: Turquoise consistent with Royston material
Color: Vivid blue-green with warm golden matrix
Accent: Chased crescent shoulder band applied over the shank
Metal: .925 sterling silver
Artist: Signed R. MAYES | Robert Mayes, Navajo silversmith
Era: Circa late 1980s
Status: Signed vintage period piece
Condition: Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: medium-large with high visual impact
• Stone: 1 1/8" x 1/2" (bezel to bezel)
• Face width: 1/2"
• Face length: 1 1/8"
  
• Ring size: 7.25 (adjustable to approx. full size up)
  
• Weight: 12.9 grams

Gallery Note:

This Navajo ring is centered on a vivid blue-green turquoise cabochon with warm golden matrix and strong visual movement. The stone’s color range, matrix patterning, and organic depth are consistent with Royston district material, giving the ring a vibrant, stone-forward presence.

The silverwork is intentionally restrained, with a slim bezel that allows the turquoise to command the composition. Chased crescent details along the shoulders introduce subtle movement while keeping the overall design clean, balanced, and wearable.

The adjustable shank carries quiet structural strength, remaining wider where it meets the face and tapering at the center for comfort. Signed R. MAYES and attributed to Navajo silversmith Robert Mayes, this late-1980s ring reflects a period of Southwestern studio jewelry where bold turquoise cabochons and minimal silverwork were often paired for maximum visual impact.

Hallmark & Maker Notes: 

Robert Mayes is referenced in the secondary market as a Navajo silversmith associated with sterling silver jewelry signed R. MAYES or RM. Public biographical information appears limited, so this attribution is based on the hallmark, comparable market references, and the construction of the piece. His known market examples often place emphasis on the stone, pairing turquoise or other cabochons with restrained sterling silverwork.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.

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At a Glance:

Design: Native American bear claw sterling pendant with turquoise, coral, and intricate silverwork
Stone: Turquoise cabochon consistent with Kingman material
Color: Saturated sky-blue turquoise with minimal matrix
Secondary Stone(s): Two small red-orange coral accents
Accent: Layered wirework, chased leaves, and flower appliqués
Metal: .925 sterling silver
Artist: Signed J.M. | Navajo silversmith under active research
Era: Late 20th century
Status: Vintage Native American jewelry piece with partially faded hallmark
Condition: Very Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Specifications:

• Wear scale: mid-size pendant (chain not included)
• Turquoise: 5/16" x 5/16" (bezel to bezel)
• Width:  1 1/4"
• Total length (including the bail): 2 1/4"
  
• Bail: compact, best suited for fine to medium weight chain
• Weight: 13.1 grams

Gallery Note:

This Native American bear claw pendant brings together symbolic strength, saturated color, and detailed silverwork in a compact yet commanding form. A vivid sky-blue turquoise cabochon anchors the upper center, framed by curling wirework and layered sterling silver appliqué, while two red-orange coral accents introduce warmth beneath the stone.

The turquoise-and-coral contrast gives the pendant a classic Southwestern presence, while the genuine bear claw adds visual weight and traditional collector interest. Its mid-size scale keeps the piece wearable, but the layered silverwork, strong materials, and symbolic form give it a bold presence beyond its size.

Compact yet expressive, this pendant reflects the appeal of vintage Native American jewelry with strong visual character, meaningful materials, and construction details consistent with Navajo work.

Hallmark & Maker Notes:

The reverse bears a partially faded hallmark that appears to read “J.M.” beside a clear STERLING stamp. The maker remains under active research, as the mark has not yet been conclusively matched to a single documented silversmith.

The Navajo attribution is based on the pendant’s genuine bear claw element, sterling silverwork, turquoise-and-coral arrangement, curling wire accents, layered appliqué, and overall late 20th-century Navajo jewelry vocabulary — elements consistent with Navajo work, though maker identification remains unconfirmed due to the softened hallmark.

✨ Collector inquiries are welcome. SCJ is open to thoughtful questions, documented observations, and new information that deepens the story of a piece. With permission, selected comments from our Members may be featured in our upcoming Collectors Circle Insights publications.