Hello. I’m Kit. I would love a consultation or two re this bolo tie and its artist:
The artist engraved his/her hallmark as follows:
I believe it to have been made in late 60s-70s due to its John Day tension clasp. (Of course, it could have been made later). I read the hallmark as “R G” (Raymond Gasper?) or perhaps a stylized “RS?”
I am curious, as well, about the turquoise, per se. Whence cometh it?
also bear that distinct vine/leaf (?) design at their openings. Don’t know if that helps. That aiguillette feature is not on any other of my 50+ vintage bolos.
Re the Gasper hypothesis, he was a Zuni, and I am not used to seeing a Zuni work with such relatively large, undressed stones. The piece looks more Navajo to me.
Finally, there is the question of the stones themselves. Where might they have come from?
I’m assuming you meant to attach a picture of the hallmark, but they didn’t completely upload. You need to wait till it says 100% during uploading.
As far as from where the turquoise originated, without good provenance from a legit seller/trader (versus some random online seller) or the artist, there is no way of knowing for sure, although the presence of pyrite can narrow it down a bit. Sleeping Beauty, Kingman, Ithaca Peak, and Morenci (I believe Persian can also) can have pyrite, so . If I was forced to hazard a guess I would lean towards Kingman partly because there is just so much of it out there.
I can’t tell anything about the mark on the bolo tips, but it is my understanding that artists often buy pre-made ends for bolos in supply stores. Maybe that’s a mark from one of those places.
It would appear to be a Navajo piece (if native made) rather than Zuni, although I have a couple hefty pieces that are surprisingly Zuni made. Seeing the actual hallmark might help.
Yep. Looks like Kingman, stained from absorbing skin oils etc, or resin infused. Chances are this isn’t a one off. More likely one of several produced from the same pattern and bill of materials. Hand made but currently without provenance and not attributable to a particular silversmith.
ETA: The ‘hallmark’ is done with a vibratory engraver. This isn’t always a red flag, but it is also a common method of marking pieces after the fact to create fraudulent provenance. This piece could have been marked any time after it was made to create false provenance and thereby increase perceived value. A complete absence of documentation of a body of work marked in exactly the same tool with the same very specific ‘hallmark’ would definitely be a discounting factor for me as a prospective buyer.
The stamp examples @Steve just posted are made with a professional custom machined hallmark stamp rather than a vibratory engraver. I personally would not attribute this work to the same hand that wielded the professional hallmark stamp.
. If I was forced to hazard a guess I would lean towards Kingman partly because there is just so much of it out there.
