Thinking about purchasing as a surprise gift, but noticed the black marks on both sides of the gap on this bracelet. I believe them to be reputable sellers but they evidently dont want to attempt polishing and if I buy it and try to clean, I will then own it. It is a rather simply engraved Hopi piece with more silver showing than overlay so pretty noticeable. Appreciate any thoughts if these can be removed without affecting the patina of the bracelet. Always appreciate the knowledge from this forum, thank you in advance for your thoughts or suggestions.
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From the looks of it, the bracelet has been high polished and there isnât any real patina to speak of. The work is overlay cut out with a saw rather than engraving cut with a graver. I donât see any of the characteristic matte Hopi finish, or background texturing stamp work used by Hopi silversmiths, but this may just be the camera angle.
From here, this looks like it could just as well be Navajo, or non-native overlay. Are there Hallmarks or other provenance that this is actually Hopi work?
Provided the bracelet is sterling the tarnish can be buffed off, but youâll want someone who knows what theyâre doing so the blackened background of the recessed saw work isnât affected.
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Thank you for all your info, had to wait to get photos back. It is made by Bobby Tewa, dated to the 80âs. Seeing more of this bracelet, do you think I could remove tarnish by hand buffing? Weight of bracelet over 3 ounces and would also need to bring gap in 1/2 inch to fit. If you have time to give opinion, maybe this wasnât meant to be, but I do like the very simplistic design. Appreciate the help.
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@biker4all Glad you posted additional photos. I was hoping to see the full design on this cuff. Itâs fabulous!! Possibly eagles? (Sorry, Iâm not able to answer your questions. Hopefully, others will chime in with their knowledge.)
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Maybe it looks slightly different, because he apparently is Ohkay Owingeh/Hopi. Hereâs a little bio I found. Cool cuff!
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Ditto on @Patina âs opinion. The cuff is a real winner! Looking at the photos, the finish does look like it has a matte element to it. Traditionally, this is achieved with a very fine sand or emory paper, or a worn carbide sanding belt 800 grit of slightly higher, held flat to avoid dipping into the recessed areas or dulling the crisp edges of the saw work, moving the paper directionally across the surface in one direction only, either, and only along the x or y axis, not both and not in a circular pattern. crossing direction, or circular movements will ruin the effect.
The slightly polished effect of the finish on this particular bracelet looks like it was accomplished with 1200 -1500 grit paper, and believe me, it took a while.
You can do this yourself removing the tarnish in the process, but with the caveat that this is a very, very tough finish to get right, and if you plan on trying this yourself, I recommend practicing (a lot) first on brass which approximates the hardness of sterling. Donât mix the paper you used on brass with the paper you use on sterling or youâll deposit micro particles of brass in your sterling and end up with an off white finish.
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Thank you for your very detailed response. I was hoping just a polishing cloth, I donât want to affect the finish. As it is in the back, maybe I just ignore it till sometime professional can do it. Guess I need a Southwest trip soon.
Any thoughts about bringing the gap in 1/2 inch. I am not sure with the guage of this at close to 3 ounces how easily it will budge.
Thank you all for your information and thinking itâs as nice as I thought it was, now if only husband thinks so too, and getting it to fit. Btw, it is 7 3/4 with gap, need it to be about 7 1/4.???
So nice to have this forum to share and learn from, thanks again.
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I donât think a soft polishing cloth will hurt it, and itâs certainly worth a try. I would move the cloth lengthwise across the piece in one direction â the direction of the grain of the original finish â which you should be able to see under good magnification.
ETA: You donât want to use a cloth with separate compound. Iâm a big fan of the âBuffy Gloveâ which is permeated with a non abrasive chemical that works wonders on tarnish. Available from Thunderbird supply.
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And do you think we can squeeze the gap in as much as a half inch? I havenât seen or felt it, but have to believe it is fairly heavy. They said âwiggle roomâ, could it go in from 1 1/2 inch gap to 1 inch?
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I have those gloves from a dealer in Albuquerque for probably 30 years, they are the best.
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Yes. That should be no problem. Just donât work it back an forth or you risk fatiguing and fracturing the metal at some point.
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Thatâs the one. (20 character minimum).
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Thanks so much, guess my husband will now have an eagle bracelet.
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Someone on here mentioned about putting moleskin inside the cuff to make it narrower. It didnât work on a cuff I had a question about because mine was too round. But maybe it might on yours? Let me see if I can find the link to the discussion for you.
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Here it isâŚHopi cuffâŚ.thenâŚnot quite Hopi cuff
I was just going to screenshot the info, but it was a pretty long discussion. I think it started about halfway down the thread. Hopefully this will help!
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Thank you for the info about the âBuffy Gloveâ. I recently missed out on a pair of signed, vintage Hopi earrings that had tarnish. I was just unsure about cleaning up that tarnish. The earrings sold quickly 
.
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Itâs also sold under âRich Glo or Rich Glow Gloveâ. Same product. Anyway, theyâre fantastic for touch ups, and for keeping your jewelry looking fresh. They can also be used to touch up pieces where tarnish has overtaken patina by gently going after raised areas and leaving recessed areas alone.
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First of all, your cuff is absolutely beautiful, great stone and style. So impressive, I am now wanting cuff set with turquoise. That was what first attracted me to Bobby Tewa, he had made a eye catching cuff set with a really nice piece of turquoise but that ship sailed. Then this âeagleâ bracelet showed up and it spoke to me but it was definitely sized for a man. I have heard of moleskin but donât know where to look locally for it. Would you have a suggestion - also, would it work for menâs rings, as my husbandâs rings are all falling off him. Years ago we had a man in Santa Fe size a ring for him and it was such a botch job on a really nice ring that I donât want to mess with silver and stone sizing any more. Thank you for finding that info for me and the bio. Enjoy that great bracelet.
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Thanks! Keep looking and I bet youâll find one. And I love the eagle design on your cuff.
I have not personally tried the moleskin, but my understanding is you can buy it - I think - in the Dr Scholl (I donât know if I spelled that right 
) section at drugstores. I used moleskin years ago in my ice skates to help protect from blisters (Iâm a coach), and Iâm thinking thatâs what some of the members here were talking about. @OrbitOrange and @Islandmomma, I think you both recommended the use of moleskin. Did you buy it at a drugstore?
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I actually picked my moleskin up from Walmart but any drug store should have it. @biker4all I have had several rings sized at Crown Jewels and Coin. They are in Albuquerque and have resized 3 rings for me. They have a laser soldering machine so that it is not necessary to remove any turquoise in order to make the repair. I was pleased with the results of all of them. Your cuff is really nice. I wouldnât mind running across one like it.
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