Turquoise/Native American jewelry

[rlk]

Large Bolo by MK

 

[carouselvic]

very nice

 

[alanfgag]

+1... I'm enjoying seeing your bolos in the WHAYWT thread.

 

[alanfgag]

bump

No new purchases, just wearing what I have.

 

[Feraud]

^ Gorgeous ring and belt!

 

[alanfgag]

:yo: thank you.

Today...

 

[Feraud]

Alan, offhand do you know the width of the last two buckles you posted?

 

[alanfgag]

The buckle I am wearing today is quite substantial in weight... measures 2 7/8 x 3 1/2" and is on a 1 3/4" belt.

The belt I wore yesterday is 1 1/4" I believe, which gives some sense of the scale of the buckle. I can measure it when I get home later.

 

[Feraud]

Thanks, I had to ask because that second buckle looks quite substantial! The wider belt works nicely with it.

 

[alanfgag]

Thanks again... I've been looking to find something more interesting, but this modern belt is stiff and supports it well. It's a heavy set, but not difficult to wear.

 

[Feraud]

I think the simple black belt showcases the buckle.

 

[Michaelshane]

New ones in an old style...

 

[jskeen]

New ones in an old style...

Sweet! New work top to bottom? Stone? Are the beads cast solid, or shaped and soldered?

 

[handymike]

I really like this thread!!!!
Beautiful stuff. My Grandpa used to dabble with turquoise. I'll post a couple of things soon, although it's not quite up to the level of some of the items I've seen here.

 

[Michaelshane]

Sweet! New work top to bottom? Stone? Are the beads cast solid, or shaped and soldered?

I cut the stones,drilled the holes,the beads are hollow domes,holes drilled then the halves soldered together.Lots of work but the only way to get there.

 

[jskeen]

I thought so. The beads could have been sand or lost wax cast, but they would be pretty heavy for earrings. Do you know the provenance for the turquoise?, or were the pieces just out of "the mystery material" box?

If you don't mind me asking, did you just decide to make some earrings, or did somebody ask for a pair? Did you pick up the stone and say "that looks like some small pendants hiding in there", or were you looking for a stone that would yield a pair of small trapezoidal pendants and say "There they are, let me cut them out of that rock"? How was the weather at the time?

Sorry, just kidding about that last bit, but please give us a glimpse inside the process if you can.

Thanks
James

 

[Michaelshane]

I have clients that buy whatever I make,I mix it up and make a variety of things.The Turqouise is Kingman.That shape has been worn as earrings and necklace tabs for hundreds of years.I cut the two tabs from two stones,and the round stones were cut from one stone.Im making another pair from Fox Turqouise,from Nevada,and another pair will be made from Chinese stones.Yesterday I sent the picture to a customer in Virginia.I told her I was making several pairs like these and asked her what she thought of them she replied. "Oh MY GOD I WANT THEM!!!!!!!!* ALL OF THEM!!!!*
I copied that from her email.

 

[Michaelshane]

 

[Zombie_61]

One of the most beautiful pieces of turquoise jewelry that I've ever seen belonged to my ex-brother-in-law. The stone was a near-perfect oval shape that was a rich blue color with a primarily gold (in color) matrix/veining, polished to a nice even glossy finish. This was surrounded by a gold rope-like bezel on a diamond-shaped silver backing plate that featured the "traditional" etchings with mild artificial antiquing/patina; the backing plate was rounded to follow the curvature of the wearer's finger, with the ring attached beneath. I really wish I had a photo to post, because my inadequate description does not do it justice. If I ever find another one like it, I'll pay whatever the asking price is.

 

[alanfgag]

Acquired a couple of vintage hand tooled belts... doing some buckle swapping. This one was a gift from my mother-in-law some years back. A close friend from the old neighborhood in the Bronx became a (non-native) surgeon on the Navajo reservation in the 1950s and 60s and they had some great visits to places not normally included on the tourist trek. Acquired at a trading post in Arizona, Navajo overlay artistry, I believe.