Yes i agree. I only started with a little turquoise cutting last month, but really don’t like the wastage that seems inevitable. If i were a multi millionaire i’d probably place a little bid on that big rock though hehe
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Oh my, I love the Liz Wallace moth!!! And the Herbert Ration (?) bug brooch. I love pins/brooches, can hardly wait until fall when I can wear them on denim again!
I just found this brooch by Al Somers. It’s so similar to yours, I’m wondering if they were both made by Al Somers:
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YES! i think you are right! <3
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This is the Anthony Lovato belt buckle I would have liked to buy back in April on our trip, but it was out of my price range (and then I later found the cuff 
)
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Wow, @Ziacat, that’s a beauty.
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Very cool buckle! Horses, turquoise, tufa cast, - what’s not to like. I don’t understand the bezel though. Is that part of the design?
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I believe so. The bezel on my corn cuff is very similar.
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That is an interesting bezel! In my experience, some tufa cast artist, like Anthony Lovato and Monty Claw (see my ring below) do some interesting things with bezels. The one on this buckle is quite different, but Anthony does a variety of bezel styles, and some like this, have a very crude appearance.
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I agree with @Bmpdvm. Here are some close ups of my cuff’s bezel.
The more I see his work, the more I really, really love it. Here are a couple more of his pieces (not mine) with interesting bezels.
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@Ziacat; You and me both! Yours is fabulous. There’s a cuff at Garlands I’ve been eyeing for a while, but since I’m going to Santa Fe in August, I’m not currently buying (I know you understand). Hope to see him there. Hope you get to meet him sometime, he’s a character! And his sons are also doing fantastic work.
Now you’ve got me thinking about that cuff again🥴
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Okay, now I understand. The bezels have a more casual “wrapped” look. I like it! 
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your ring bezel looks to me like a silhouette of monument valley, sorta. i dig it!
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When I was shopping at Cameron I really wanted to buy one of his son’s cuffs (has horses on it), but it was too big. The Navajo lady helping me pulled this one out, and it was perfect.
“Now you’ve got me thinking about that cuff again🥴”
You’re welcome
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Most of the bezels are at least in part reticulated, Tom, meaning flux is applied and they are then sprinkled with silver filings which are fused to the underlying metal at near overall melt temp. Reticulated surfaces are often mistaken for Tufa or Sand Cast because the appearance is nearly identical. In some of these pieces I see both reticulation and Tufa or Sand Casting employed in construction, and the effect is absolutely purposeful.
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Hey Mike, you’re 100% correct. I didn’t word my comment very well when I said “is that part of the design”. I meant is the unusual bezel style part of the buckle’s overall look, which is still not well worded. Regardless, always appreciate your technical explanations. Thank you!
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@Tah Great find. The bidders agreed with the possible kinship, it seems.
The original belt with multiple inlay medallions was set with Villa Grove turquoise and went for $16K in 1975 (per catalog and prices realized). It was a collab. of Roger Skeet and Lambert Homer.
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Thanks, @chicfarmer. I am familiar with the Skeet/Homer belt having seen it featured in a few publications. An incredible work of art. Wondering when and who created the eBay buckle.
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Just to nerd out a bit more, I looked up what its selling price of $16K in 1975 equates to today. It’s north of $95,000. Pretty astounding!
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From one nerd to another… 
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