Comanche, Southern Plains
19th century
800 fine silver or higher
Length 2" (5 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Santa Fe, NM
These earrings originate from the Comanche people of the Southern Plains, a nation known for their mastery of horse culture and trade networks that extended across the mid-continent. The cross and crescent moon are among the most resonant symbols in Plains silver work, carried into Native adornment through generations of intercultural exchange. Their appearance together on a single object speaks to the layered cosmological and aesthetic sensibility of 19th-century Plains jewelers.
The earrings are worked in silver of 800 fineness or higher, indicating quality metal acquisition through trade or coin silver sources common to the period. The forms are crisply cast or cut, with the cross rendered in a starburst variant and the crescent suspended below as a pendant element. At 2 inches in length, they would have moved with the wearer, catching light consistent with Plains regalia aesthetics.
Objects of this type were worn for ceremony, trade, and social distinction. Plains silver earrings in documented provenance from Santa Fe collections carry added integrity, as New Mexico served as a primary corridor for both historic and 20th-century Indigenous art commerce. This pair is a grounded, wearable example of a classic Plains jewelry form.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Comanche, Southern Plains
19th century
800 fine silver or higher
Length 2" (5 cm)
Provenance: Private collection, Santa Fe, NM
These earrings originate from the Comanche people of the Southern Plains, a nation known for their mastery of horse culture and trade networks that extended across the mid-continent. The cross and crescent moon are among the most resonant symbols in Plains silver work, carried into Native adornment through generations of intercultural exchange. Their appearance together on a single object speaks to the layered cosmological and aesthetic sensibility of 19th-century Plains jewelers.
The earrings are worked in silver of 800 fineness or higher, indicating quality metal acquisition through trade or coin silver sources common to the period. The forms are crisply cast or cut, with the cross rendered in a starburst variant and the crescent suspended below as a pendant element. At 2 inches in length, they would have moved with the wearer, catching light consistent with Plains regalia aesthetics.
Objects of this type were worn for ceremony, trade, and social distinction. Plains silver earrings in documented provenance from Santa Fe collections carry added integrity, as New Mexico served as a primary corridor for both historic and 20th-century Indigenous art commerce. This pair is a grounded, wearable example of a classic Plains jewelry form.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
