Ring c. 1930

This turquoise and silver ring was made by a Pueblo artist, at an unknown date. I love the way the artist has worked with the stone, setting it in the silver so that it really sings. I can imagine the artist carefully selecting this particular piece of turquoise, turning it this way and that in their hands, thinking, “Yes, this is the one.” It’s such a beautiful blue, like something found in a dream. Then the patient work of shaping the silver, coaxing it around the stone, and setting it just so. The artist seems to relish the material qualities of the silver. I love the way it surrounds the stone, highlighting the turquoise's unique variations of colour. Looking at it now, it makes me think about Helen Frankenthaler and her soak-stain paintings from the 1950s. There’s a similar feeling of transparency and depth, a kind of shimmering light that seems to come from within. Artists are in an ongoing conversation, and it is fascinating to consider how the process of making constructs a site of inquiry for the artist, and for us.