Native American Jewelry

Old pawn Navajo 3 strand silver and turquoise bracelet

17 stones w large central teardrop stone.  Braided outer bands with flattened center band.  Turquoise is a lovely pale variegated blue with a smoky matrix, possible Persian or Old Cerrillos turquoise.  Similar in style to bracelet #258 in Sotheby's 1998 Native American Indian Art catalog #7137.

band diameter side-to-side 2 7/16", width across top 1 7/8"

Scribed in thin lines on inside 92 AWTK, another older mark, difficult to read, possible ONTI

excellent condition with typical oxidation from age.

  We do not clean our vintage silver pieces, in order not to alter the patina.   We leave the decision to clean or polish up to the buyer. 

Circa 1950

Purchased at Fort Defiance, Arizona in 1955. Seller noted as "Griswold".

SOLD

 

Historical Note

Fort Defiance is located within the Navajo Nation, 25 miles northwest of Gallup, New Mexico.  The fort was established in 1851 as Arizona's first military post for the U.S. Army to patrol Navajo Country. Traditional Navajo horse races were held at the site until 1856, when an argument between whites and  Navajo racers caused troops to open fire, killing about 30 Navajos, leading to almost a decade of guerrilla warfare in the area.

 In 1861, the fort was abandoned, then reoccupied in the fall of 1863 by Kit Carson and companies of New Mexico Volunteers sent to crush Navajo resistance.  In 1864, the so-called Navajo War ended, and once again the fort was deserted.  Roaming bands who had eluded Carson's troops burned the fort, leaving only the thick sod and rubble walls.  

In 1868 the fort was selected as the site of the Navajo Indian Agency.  

 In 1936, the agency was relocated to Window Rock, Arizona.

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