When we were at Twin Rocks back in April, Mr. Simpson showed me a cuff he really liked by Al Joe. I also liked it, but it was a wee bit too sleek for me, and most definitely too big. I had forgotten about it till I was looking through their site yesterday, and then remembered that Al Joe was one of Pete Johnson’s mentors, and that you have one of his cuffs. Thought you might like it. The stone is amazing.
You think correctly…I do like it. And that chunky black chert just screams Blue Diamond! Thanks for remembering my Al Joe cuff. Is your Pete Johnson cuff heavy? Mine by Al Joe certainly is!
It’s not crazy heavy, but it has nice heft to it without being bulky. I’m beginning to see a pattern in my cuff choices - I apparently really like ones with a single nice stone in the middle of all that silver, cause I have quite a few in that style.
In my original post of the day’s events at this year’s Eiteljorg Market, I mentioned a beautiful cast cuff that Navajo/Picuris Pueblo artist Jerry Gaussoin Jr. was wearing, and was made by his mother. He wore it proudly and was more than willing to share it’s lovely history.
I’d asked Jerry if he would be keen on sharing a photo of it, and promised everyone here that I would share it if he did. Well, he just sent me a photo of his mother’s tufa casting talent that stopped me in my tracks the moment I saw it…
Absolutely stunning. The work that went into this piece. Wow, just wow.
Fabulous. It does look like your sister’s bolo! I can’t remember if you wear cuffs or not, but I think you need something like one of these…
Knowing it was inspired by his mother’s killer cuff just makes it extra special.
I’ve been looking for an earlier cuff or bangles that would fit my wrist for a long time, but I’ve yet to have any luck. But this, I would wear this in a heartbeat!! I wonder if Jerry would consider a commissioned piece. ![]()
It barely shows in the photograph, but one of the most impressive things about his cuff was the wear on the inside and at the peaks of the casing. These areas were almost completely polished from forty years of sliding on and off wrists, just an incredible amount of honest wear. Another of my favorite aspects was the weight, for all of the openwork, it’s exceptionally heavy. ![]()
ETA: Jerry said he would be honored to make one inspired from his mother’s design and to reach out in November. ![]()
It might be worth asking him if he would make one ![]()
He told me last night that he’d be honored to do so.
Due to the busy month of August and all of the shows/markets, he asked that I reach out in November. ![]()
Yay! That’s awesome! Early Christmas present ![]()
I wanted to ensure that he knew I wasn’t after an exact copy, just one inspired by his mother’s work. It will be interesting to see what he comes up with!
@Ziacat those two cuffs together would definitely catch my eye! Congrats on your new treasure!
I giggle every time I see the header on this thread!
Thanks! Unfortunately it’s pretty accurate
but that’s okay! I’m enjoying my purchases, but now I need to be a good girl by showing some restraint for quite some time ![]()
I forgot to that I wanted to add these in my original post.
There was a Native American art exhibit going on in the other gallery at the Eiteljorg during the market. I saw these on the back wall, and was mesmerized. From a distance they almost glowed, but I couldn’t tell if they were painted or what.
The artist, Margaret Nazon from the Northwest Territories, made these from beads on textiles, and was inspired by images from the Hubble Telescope. She also uses items such as seeds, buttons, and caribou bone.
Thanks for adding these @Ziacat, were they part of the Radical Stitch exhibit?
It must have been. I went in, but never saw the name of it. Thanks!



