Bracelet c. 1930

This silver and turquoise bracelet was made by a Navajo (Diné) artist, location and date unknown. Look at this piece; it seems to have emerged through careful arrangement, the placement of the turquoise stones, the shaping of the silver. I can imagine the artist thinking about symmetry and balance as they worked, figuring out how to bring these different elements together into something harmonious. I wonder if they started with the stones, finding the right ones, each with its unique matrix of color. I imagine the artist’s hands shaping the silver, bending and joining it with heat, coaxing it into form. The metal has a cool, subdued gleam, almost as if whispering of restraint. Those little silver beads remind me of rain. It connects to a long history of Indigenous art, each artist building on the work of those who came before, reinventing and renewing tradition through craft. Like painting, making jewelry is an ongoing conversation.