I have a cuff by Bonita Sandoval? that she made on 5/16/1974. I am not sure I have the right guess on the name. Does anyone have something by this artist or something similar? The cuff’s turquoise is Royston I was told, but was missing the side piece. I was quoted $550 to create a new side piece and adjust the sizing from round to more oval to fit me better by a silversmith in Texas. I am not sure if this is too much or a reasonable estimate. Any help is appreciated.
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Bonnie Sandoval (Navajo). Active since 1986. Daughter of Alta Sandoval.
Alta Sandoval (Navajo). Active since 1960s. Cluster work; set stones. Mother of Bonnie and Dean Sandoval, Jr
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Welcome to Turquoise People! I really am not an expert, but $550 sounds like a lot, although I’m not exactly sure what you need done. I would try contacting Perry Null in Gallup, NM, and see what they say it could cost. I had something fixed there that someone else told me wasn’t worth fixing, and PN did a great job.
Stones look like they could be Royston, but it’s always an educated guess without provenance. Turquoise from one mind can totally resemble turquoise from another mine. Very pretty stones.
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Thank you, Steve. My piece is dated in 1974, earlier than 1986 for Alta’s daughter. Could my Bonita Sandoval be a different relation of this family?
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Thank you for the welcome and the referral, Ziacat! The last picture I posted is where the missing third stone would have been and I was looking to replace it with a similar or recreated piece like the second and third pictures. I will reach out to Perry Null for an estimate. Many thanks!
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Some of the most common variations of Bonita are Bo, Bonie, Bonny, Benita, Vonnie, Boneeta, Bonetta, Bownita, and Bonitah . In addition, You can use nicknames such as Bonnie, Nita, Bono, and Bon for Bonita.
anything beyond this would be guesswork, such as did her mom Alta make it for her birthday, graduation etc.
suggest forensic search for Bonita herself if possible.
good luck with repairs
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