Bracelet 1910 - 1920

This bracelet was made by a Navajo artist. You can see the process right there in the metal. Think about what it means to work with something hard, something you need to cajole. There's a turquoise stone in the middle, like a little pool, and it's surrounded by all this worked silver. I imagine the artist thinking about the contrast and also the connection between them. The stone is smooth and cool, the silver is rougher, worked and shaped. The repetitive marks around the stone, and the other design elements on the band, speak to me of how art is a conversation, both with materials and other makers. It reminds me of some of the jewelry of Alexander Calder, but of course this piece comes from a whole different world of making, a different set of conversations and influences. It's a reminder that we make art out of what we have, and with what we know.