Navajo
Southwest
2015
Sterling silver and turquoise, signed
Total circumference 8 in (20.3 cm), gap 1 1/4 in (3.2 cm), width 2 in (5.1 cm); 112.71 grams
Provenance: Private collection, Las Cruces, NM
This heavy Navajo cuff is tufa cast in sterling silver, poured into a hand carved tufa stone mold that gives it a deep, sculptural surface. The face carries a bold geometric maze of intersecting raised lines against a rough, sandy cast ground, set with two spiderweb turquoise stones in plain bezels. As a tufa cast piece it is one of a kind, since the carved tufa mold can only be used once.
At just over 112 grams across a full 2 inch width, the cuff is very heavy and substantial, with the weight carried in the thick cast silver. The two turquoise stones, a larger teardrop and a smaller oval, are placed off center to sit against the geometric field rather than at the middle. It is signed by the maker and dates to 2015.
Aaron Anderson is a Navajo silversmith born in 1970 in Gallup, New Mexico, and a third generation artist from a family known for sand and tufa cast silverwork. He learned casting from his family and has worked as a silversmith since the 1990s, specializing in tufa casting, in which each piece is cast from a hand carved tufa stone that can be used only once. He is an award winning caster, with numerous honors including best in casting at the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial, and often sells the carved tufa block along with the finished piece to show that it is unique. His work blends contemporary and traditional design and is held by collectors internationally.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
Navajo
Southwest
2015
Sterling silver and turquoise, signed
Total circumference 8 in (20.3 cm), gap 1 1/4 in (3.2 cm), width 2 in (5.1 cm); 112.71 grams
Provenance: Private collection, Las Cruces, NM
This heavy Navajo cuff is tufa cast in sterling silver, poured into a hand carved tufa stone mold that gives it a deep, sculptural surface. The face carries a bold geometric maze of intersecting raised lines against a rough, sandy cast ground, set with two spiderweb turquoise stones in plain bezels. As a tufa cast piece it is one of a kind, since the carved tufa mold can only be used once.
At just over 112 grams across a full 2 inch width, the cuff is very heavy and substantial, with the weight carried in the thick cast silver. The two turquoise stones, a larger teardrop and a smaller oval, are placed off center to sit against the geometric field rather than at the middle. It is signed by the maker and dates to 2015.
Aaron Anderson is a Navajo silversmith born in 1970 in Gallup, New Mexico, and a third generation artist from a family known for sand and tufa cast silverwork. He learned casting from his family and has worked as a silversmith since the 1990s, specializing in tufa casting, in which each piece is cast from a hand carved tufa stone that can be used only once. He is an award winning caster, with numerous honors including best in casting at the Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial, and often sells the carved tufa block along with the finished piece to show that it is unique. His work blends contemporary and traditional design and is held by collectors internationally.
We ship free anywhere in the world, fully insured, packed by hand.
