Description

This exceptional vintage Navajo ring is an unusually elaborate piece of hand-fabricated silverwork, built around a large freeform blue turquoise cabochon and a smaller deep red coral cabochon, each held in a handmade serrated bezel. Rather than centering the stones within a simple frame, the silversmith arranged them asymmetrically across a broad rounded face and used the remaining space for dense, beautifully controlled applied work.

Hand-stamped leaves curl around the stones beneath sweeping lengths of round silver wire, tight scrolls, and clustered silver drops that read almost like blossoms. Some of the wirework bends back into compact volutes while other elements open into long graceful curves, creating several levels of relief across the face. A continuous hand-stamped border follows the outer edge, and the deeply recessed background brings every leaf, scroll, drop, and bezel into crisp definition.

The oblique view makes the construction especially clear: the coral and turquoise settings rise well above the silver foundation, with the appliqué built up around them rather than merely engraved into the surface. It is an especially fine example of 1970s Navajo turquoise-and-coral work, with an unusual amount of individually fabricated silver detail brought together in one compact composition.

Unsigned; marked STERLING.

Measurements & Specifications

• Weight: 11.1 grams
• Material: Sterling Silver 925, Turquoise, Coral
• Main Stone: Turquoise
• Secondary Stones: Coral
• Stone Color: Blue, Red
• Stone Characteristics: Blue turquoise with brown-to-black matrix; red coral with visible longitudinal striations
• Stone Shape: Freeform
• Number of Gemstones: 2
• Setting Type: Serrated Bezel
• Stone Measurements: LS: 0.51 in L x 0.35 in W (13.0 mm x 8.8 mm)
• Stone Depth: 0.24 in (6.1 mm)
• Ring Face Measurements: 1.18 in L x 1.09 in W (30.0 mm x 27.7 mm)
• Ring Size: 13
• Design: Turquoise and Coral Floral Scrollwork
• Technique: Hand Fabrication, Serrated Bezel Setting, Applied Silver Leaves, Scroll Wirework, Silver Drops, Hand Stamping
• Signed/Unsigned: Unsigned
• Hallmarked: Yes (STERLING)
• Culture: Native American
• Tribal Affiliation: Navajo
• Country of Origin: United States
• Era: Late 20th Century
• Decade: 1970s
• Style: Navajo Southwestern