Bracelet c. 1915

This turquoise bracelet was created by a Navajo (Diné) artist, and it’s the kind of piece where you can see the hand, the artist really engaging with the materials. I’m drawn to the little imperfections in each stone; each has a different matrix of dark veins running through that brilliant blue. It feels like the artist chose them individually, not for perfect uniformity, but for their quirks. The silverwork, too, it’s not too polished, so you can still see the marks from the tools. There's a real dialogue happening between the metal and the stones. I think about the Navajo tradition of silversmithing and weaving. These different crafts speak to each other across time. It reminds me of Sheila Hicks’s small woven sculptures, each a burst of color and texture. This bracelet, like her work, embraces the beauty of the handmade, each piece telling its own story.