This beautiful piece was made by a very talented Native American silversmith. It features handcrafted silversmith work throughout. Antique Native American jewelry is very rare to find. This is due to these pieces being made for reservation and personal use before the tourist trade became popular. Very few pieces were made and even less survived to today.
The Navajo Nation sits on 27,000 square miles within the states of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah. The Navajo have a rich history and culture and have become known for creating some of the finest sterling silver and turquoise jewelry, incorporating their own traditional motifs with silversmithing. The squash blossom necklace is perhaps one the most famous Navajo styles produced, along with turquoise inlay rings. Turquoise is an important stone in Navajo culture; symbolizing happiness, good fortune, and good health. The first Navajo silversmith, Atsidi Sani, was taught around 1865 by a Mexican silversmith. Atsidi Sani in turn taught his four sons, who then started teaching other Navajo artisans.In the beginning, Navajo artisans created sterling silver jewelry for themselves and others in the Navajo Nation. The concept of Pawn, Old Pawn, and Dead Pawn Native American Jewelry came to be in the 1800s. When a loan wasnt repaid, the item became known as either Old Pawn or Dead Pawn.
Pre 1950s Navajo silversmiths would make jewelry out of US 90% Silver coins. They would use Half Dollars, Quarters, & Mercury Dimes. This type of jewelry is very rare, as it usually contained a high silver purity and was expensive to make.
Whole Coin jewelry was worn around the reservation as a status symbol of wealth. Turquoise is found all over the world and has been a popular semi-precious stone used in jewelry and art for thousands of years by many different cultures; from prehistoric times to the present. Turquoise comes in many beautiful color variations; from the popular bright solid sky-blue hues to dark blue hues with dark spiderwebbing throughout, as well as aqua, teal, and many green varieties, and even some rare white with dark spiderwebbing. Royston turquoise is a Nevada turquoise famous for being one of the few naturally green forms of turquoise in the world.
It ranges in color from rich forest green and aqua blue offset by a heavy golden-brown matrix. Occasionally true-blue turquoise is found, along with spiderweb turquoise varieties. The item "Antique Vintage Sterling Coin Silver Native Navajo Pawn Turquoise Ring Sz 7.5" is in sale since Saturday, May 25, 2019. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Rings". The seller is "abeautifultimeco" and is located in Fort Collins, Colorado.
This item can be shipped worldwide.