Hi, I’m new here and was wondering if you guys can help me evaluate a bracelet I have please? I’d like to find out it’s age and what it might be worth. No hallmarks or silver purity stamps. Weighs about 60 gr. Thank you!
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i have no idea the age or origin, but it is STUNNING. I’m really eager to hear opinions on how it was constructed. Looks like sections of stamped/carinated/half-round silver, applied diagonally to flat sheet silver, but then shaped to fit? I can’t even wrap my head around that. Maybe it was cast with that angled/ribbed profile, then stamped?
welcome to the forum!
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Thank you!! I believe it’s either casted without the grooves then filed and stamped or, casted with grooves then stamped after. It’s also likely that it could be hand forged ingot then filed and stamped. Either way, the technique used is old but I’m wondering if it’s actually an old/early piece or more contemporary? I’d love to hear more from you guys please!
It’s very striking and well crafted, but not early 20th c. The diagonal design is modernist, and it reminds me of the Navajo Guild work around midcentury. The premium examples are hallmarked for the Guild.
Could be ingot silver; could be rolled (machine) vs. hand forged.
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Thanks for your thoughts and info, much appreciated! It does have the guild look to it like you mentioned and thanks for the reference link too. I’ve had quite a few knowledgeable collectors take a look at this bracelet and have had rather different opinions about it’s age that varied from very early 1900’s all the way to the 70’s and 80’s. So I decided to post it here too to get you guys’ thoughts. Most of the answers I got were pointing towards the 40’s and that it’s made from ingot.
Is it safe to say that the main differences between hand forged ingot and machine rolled ingot is that with hand forged, there’ll be more “cracks and folds” visible and it’ll be less even/uniform in the thickness throughout the piece? Thanks!
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