Hello, one more beauty I did inherit from a family member.
The top of bracelet measures 3,5 inches (90 mm).
Total weight approx. 72 Grams
Hallmarked “B” and “Sterling”.
I have found the hallmark “B” used for MAE BIA (Navajo silversmith) but since the letter “B” is very common I am not sure if my bracelet was made by her.
Therefore I am interested to identify the silversmith, turquoise used & the age of the bracelet…
Does anyone can help me out? Thanks
Is that a design of the Byjoe family? Is there any Byjoe listed for the “B” hallmark?
Hi, I sear
ched on the internet for “Byjoe” and came up with this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-NAVAJO-Phillip-Byjoe-Sterling-Silver-TURQUOISE-Cluster-Cuff-BRACELET-/332334387945?rmvSB=true
Certainly the same style but Philip Byjoe signs with his surname - so I doubt mine was made by him. In my sources I could not find a hallmark “B” for Byjoe. But since I do not have any reference books…
I also found a “B” hallmark for “MAE BIA” Navajo but I am unfamiliar with her work and could not find information on this silversmith. From googel picture search it seems she also made / makes turquoise cluster bracelets - also the style of her silverwork is a little different:
That is the first Google result, but here are some other Byjoe cuffs.
I may have been thinking of P&V Byjoe.
Wow, very similiar to mine…but the hallmark does not match…Do you know something about MAE BIA?
I don’t know anything about Mae Bia, sorry. I also found one cluster bracelet attributed to Billy Slim that appears to match the Mae Bia-attributed bracelet. (You may need to click through to see it.)
https://picclick.com/Vntg-Wide-Navajo-BILLY-SLIM-Turquoise-Cluster-Bracelet-142353354079.html
You may need to start with the cluster bracelet families and track from there.
I will, thanks so much for your effort…One more question: Do you think the turquoise used is stabilized turquoise or natural one?
They look natural to me, but I’d defer to Jason’s judgment. My strengths in judging jewelry have to do with my having a good visual memory and being a longtime jewelry collector, though not of Native American stuff. I lack years of experience in handling & viewing turquoise.
Revisiting this. I know more about stones now than I did last fall, due to diligent study and joining a few Facebook groups that look closely at turquoise & NA jewelry. These stones now look stabilized to me.
If I had to guess from the image and what I see come through the shop I would call this block.
