When we planned our trip to CO and UT, we figured we would spend the last 4 days in Grand Junction with family, but I needed to figure out what to do with the rest. I wanted to visit Arches and Canyonlands not in the heat of the summer (ha! It snowed), but wasn’t sure what else. We visited Bluff, UT back in the '90s, and I really wanted to return (blame Tony Hillerman ). Bluff is situated in the middle of a lot of cool things, and @Bmpdvm mentioning Twin Rocks sealed the deal. We visited there last time, but didn’t shop.
I had been looking at their online items, and fell in love with a cuff by Harrison Jim. But then about a week before we left I saw another. The owner had posted a video of the second cuff that kinda sold me. When I got there I couldn’t decide (buying both was over my budget). This is the one I picked, and I’m so glad. It’s by Derrick Gordon, and has a natural Blue Gem stone. I’m also going to link the video of it.
I enjoyed taking a couple pics of it outside on the rim trail at Colorado National Monument.
I love the work on the sides, and the silver appliques around the vibrant stone. I also like the brushed silver look. It’s a bit wide for me, but still fits well.
@Ziacat That’s a gorgeous turquoise stone & a very unique cuff! The silver appliques around the turquoise resemble ‘four corners’ to me ~ an area you’ve mentioned that you enjoy. Congrats on this impressive cuff .
Oh my gosh, I never thought of that, but I like it! And Bluff is not far from the literal 4 corners, so that’s perfect. Now I’ll picture that in mind when I look at it (and call it my 4 corners cuff ).
And thank you! I’m normally more drawn to turquoise with more matrix, but the color of this almost glows in the sun.
Great purchase @Ziacat! And the video by Barry (Steve’s brother) is nice to have! I had heard Barry was no longer involved with Twin Rocks, but that may be wrong🥴. The family also has a Trading post in Blanding. Maybe he does the buying? Anyway, glad you had a great trip, and were able to meet Steve and find a wonderful cuff!
I went back the next day to look (and drool ) some more, and Steve was out. The Navajo lady working said he was off doing some buying. His adorable dogs must have been with him, because they weren’t there either. I enjoyed petting them the previous day! I remembered you saying they have a store in Blanding (it’s also in my trading post guidebook), but we didn’t stop there.
I just subscribed to their YouTube channel. There are only videos on some items, but it’s what made me perk up before I even got there regarding this cuff. Thank you for reminding me how great this shop is!
Oh, and the Navajo baskets!! Amazing. My husband particularly loved those. We didn’t purchase one, but Steve taught us a lot about them.
Wow, what a cuff. You really have an eye for unique pieces.
Sounds like you had an amazing trip! Hearing about your experience makes even more excited for our upcoming adventure.
I hope you were able to eat at the restaurant next to Twin Rocks TP. I was the best meal we had on our 2023 trip.
Thank you for sharing more about your trip.
Awesome photos of your beautiful new cuff @Ziacat! Derrick Gordon and his uncle/mentor, Delbert Gordon, craft some lovely pieces. I fairly recently parted ways with a Delbert Gordon cuff.
I really like how the sides are split just after the elongated, teardrop appliques, that it terminates at a fine point is very satisfying, and a great aesthetic, I feel.
The finish is top shelf and that stone is incredibly vibrant. Truly an incredible piece, heirloom quality for certain!!
I look forward to your future additions to this thread.
@here4turquoise, I am expecting a full report of your jewelry shopping when you get back (or even while you’re on the road ). We did eat at Twin Rocks! I remembered you saying it was really great, so I made sure we did in between our hiking (they closed at 3:00). I had a green chile/chicken Navajo taco, and hubby had fry bread with green chile, eggs, carne asada, and a hollandaise sauce all on top. So good!
@Ravenscry, it wasn’t very familiar with his work until I started googling it when I saw the cuff on Twin Rock’s site. But he really has some beautiful pieces. I also read somewhere (on this forum I think) that he and his uncle Delbert worked originally with the Running Bear Shop. I also like the split cuff; that was one of the things that drew me to it along with the stamping. Do you have photos of your cuff that you let go? If so I’d love to see them.
I’m sure yours was gorgeous since you have fabulous taste Twin Rocks had a couple more of Derrick’s cuffs, but one of them was out of my price range, and the other one was too big. But actually the one I got was my favorite of the three since it was a little less ornate.
When we were in there I had on what I believe is a Tommy Singer cuff (I call it my cormorant cuff ). Mr Simpson asked me if it was a Tommy Singer, and I said I’m not sure, but I think so. He looked at it closely and said, “yep, that’s a Tommy Singer.” So that was nice!
I really like how you described the look of the sides of the cuff. That was definitely one of the things that drew me to it, but I didn’t know how to put it into words. I looked at it more closely after you described it ending in a fine point. That’s it exactly!
I would like to read @mmrogers’ proper description of this, but to me it looks as though a hole was drilled in the center of the shank (although the manner in which the back side of the hole is swedged, it almost looks puched) then from that hole, it was saw cut so far in both directions, then “split”, or widened, at the center (top) of the cuff. But this is simply an opinion of someone with no jewelry smithing experience.
Mike, please chime in on my total botching of this description.
@Ziacat !!!
I am behind on all of this!
Wow, what a cuff! It’s fabulous! Yes, you have great taste. The stamping is perfect.
I remember going in Twin Rocks Trading Post many years ago! We stayed in a little motel somewhere in Bluff.
Between you and @here4turquoise’s stunning Reggie bracelet, I’m now salivating for a new cuff!
Thank you!! I kinda planned ahead since I’m not really in Native American jewelry land here in IN There was another cuff there I considered by Anthony Bowman, because I remembered your fabulous cuff. But it was a bit big, and I was looking for one with some turquoise.
Last time we were there we stayed at Recapture Lodge which is featured in Thief of Time by Tony Hillerman. This time I wanted to try some different, so we stayed at the wonderful Bluff Gardens Cabins. They even had heated tile floors, which was great seeing as it was about 26° one night
That’s exactly how it was made, Aaron. Looks like the silversmith might not have had a drill or bit handy and used an awl to punch the pilot hole. An interesting detail.
Thank you, Mike, for your discerning eye and input. That is very interesting, and an astute observation. Given your experience, do you think this would have been done after all other stampwork? It would make sense to me that this step would have been the last in the smithing of the band itself.
). Bluff is situated in the middle of a lot of cool things, and @Bmpdvm mentioning Twin Rocks sealed the deal. We visited there last time, but didn’t shop.
.
) some more, and Steve was out. The Navajo lady working said he was off doing some buying. His adorable dogs must have been with him, because they weren’t there either. I enjoyed petting them the previous day! I remembered you saying they have a store in Blanding (it’s also in my trading post guidebook), but we didn’t stop there.
and no photo is no proof, but it was similar to this one I just found, minus the drops running along either side of the top.
