Mill-rolled sterling silver sheet was used in the fabrication of 63 beads of this necklace.
Each bead was hand made of two domed halves joined by a well-finished solder seam at the edge. Shaping of each bead required the use of a hand-cut steel die of two fitted parts--male and female, that were struck together compressed and formed the silver sheet between.
There are six different sizes of beads, requiring six different two part dies. In addition to this process, 31 of the beads are stamp decorated with a "rising sun" motif, accomplished prior to forming. Piercing each half was done before the halves were joined.
Sterling wire in two gauges was used to terminate the foxtail chain on which the beads are strung. The hook and eye closure elements are hand crafted.
Description | Mill-rolled sterling silver sheet was used in the fabrication of 63 beads of this necklace. Each bead was hand made of two domed halves joined by a well-finished solder seam at the edge. Shaping of each bead required the use of a hand-cut steel die of two fitted parts--male and female, that were struck together compressed and formed the silver sheet between. There are six different sizes of beads, requiring six different two part dies. In addition to this process, 31 of the beads are stamp decorated with a "rising sun" motif, accomplished prior to forming. Piercing each half was done before the halves were joined. Sterling wire in two gauges was used to terminate the foxtail chain on which the beads are strung. The hook and eye closure elements are hand crafted. |
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About the Artist | "Dineh or Diné are a Native American people of the Southwestern United States. They are the second largest federally recognized tribe in the United States with over 300,000 enrolled tribal members as of 2015. The Navajo reservation occupies over 27,000 square miles of land in Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Navajo language is spoken throughout the reservation with most Navajos speaking English as well." excerpted from Wikipedia
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Culture | American Indian, Navajo |
Medium | Sterling silver |
Troy ounces | 4.57 troy ounces |
Size | 24 3/4" in overall length including clasp and wire-wrap finish.. Largest bead is 3/4" diameter. Smallest bead is 1/2" in diameter. |
Date of creation | Late 1940's to 1950's |
Condition | Excelllent |
Provenance | KW |
Gram weight | 142.1 grams |