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This treasure survived the fire intact. I have it here and can ship promptly.

This rare early thunderbird or Hopi Bird bolo was made, in my opinion, by the estimable Myra Tuscon, who began work in the 1940s and is mentioned in most all the books. One book contains a picture of cufflinks that match this bolo and attributes them to Myra Tuscon, and I'm familiar with her work, having handled a great deal of it, so I think she did make this bolo. She hand cut and buffed the stones she used for her mosaic inlay and the mother of pearl is very reflective on this piece. All the stones are luscious and rich looking, rounded and deep in color. The piece has a lot of impact because of the strong colors and the rounded rich quality of the stones. The bolo is more beautiful in person than the pictures because of the rich quality and thickness of these stones -- they look as if they were made of thick paint dripped on the piece. The natural turquoise is very bright and the coral is a nice rich dark coral. If it is spondylus rather than coral it's a dark color indeed. And the turquoise is a natural Blue Gem mine, so the four colors play against each other beautifully in this bolo, which is a fairly large size for that period of time at 2-1/4" high and 1-3/4" wide. The keepers for the tie are hand made wires and they fit nicely. The tips appear to be all original, being very nice, old, with a good patina. They are about 2-1/8" long and the total length of the tie with the tips end to end is about 39-1/2". The weight of the entire piece is 30.9 grams. The bolo itself shows some wear to the stones, but only age appropriate use and no damage, and the piece has a great patina. There are lovely bull's eye raindrops which are punctuating the piece, a crest that has a nice little curl to it, a flair, a little like what Frank Vacit used to make. But you can see that curled crest on the cufflinks I mentioned. There is no damage of any kind. The tie is in such good condition it may have been replaced, but it's nice and flexible and appropriate to the piece. The overall condition is excellent vintage.

Myra was married to Homer Vacit, the younger brother of Frank Vacit. Later she married Lee Tucson. She exhibited with Kenneth Begay in 1965 at the Southwest Indian Arts II California exhibition and was considered one of the great masters in Zuni silver work.

There is the letter "V" scratched on the back of the bolo but it is impossible to know if it is referring to the artist or an owner or a trader's mark. It is possible that it does refer to Frank Vacit (the bird's crest is made like his characteristic crest), but that is weak as proof of the artist since this entire piece is such a good match for the picture of the Myra Tuscon cufflinks above. Considering she was married to Homer Vacit, I think she made it when she was still married to him and that would explain the "V" on the back of the piece. There is no other mark of any kind. It is not marked for silver content as is typical for the age of the piece but it does test as sterling silver and the attribution to Myra Tucson is with confidence and strong. It's superb bolo and an excellent collector's item. It's certainly a stunning and valuable bolo.

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When I include pages from published books in my listings it is in accordance with Fair Use Law, which permits the use of source material for discussion, reference, education and criticism.

Attributions on many of the old pieces of Native American jewelry are sometimes a moving target. All the books have errors, so in addition to counterchecking, I have developed some expertise over the years and I do care about getting it right, so as more information comes to light I update my listings and also get in touch with my previous buyers, to inform them of any changes in attributions. I am sincerely committed to ongoing accuracy.

Everything I sell comes from my personal collection or is something that I would include in my personal collection. Most pieces are museum worthy and gallery suitable, sold to you at great pricing. I vet every item carefully for quality and condition, and offer you the best. I want you to be able to rely on me for top quality, superb items that are often unique and rare examples of old antique vintage southwest, indian, native american and fine gold and gemstones, whether you're starting a collection or adding to one, or want something great to wear or gift. My goal is that all my buyers are delighted, that my special pieces find the right homes.