Charles Loloma Turquoise, Coral, Lapis Lazuli, Malachite, Gold Ring, circa 1975

A lapis lazuli, coral, turquoise, wood and 14 karat gold shield ring, by Charles Loloma, c. 1970. Vintage jewelry. Signed Loloma, stamped 14k. Ring size 5. Similar examples are shown in the excellent book "Loloma: Beauty is His Name"by Martha Hopkins Streuver, 2005. This is a very finely made, elegant, Loloma shield ring using the highest-quality stones; a vintage jewel in excellent condition, and representative of the great artist jeweler Loloma's best work. The proportion of metal to stone is balanced and the color scheme is harmonious. The shield rings in gold have become hard to find. And the prices for the best jewelry by this transformative jeweler rise even further as witnessed by several recent auctions. This ring is a Loloma beauty, sits comfortably on the finger, and is an investment piece. Hopi artist Charles Loloma was one of the most influential 20th-century modernist jewelers. He was a Renaissance man of the times - a potter, a painter, a muralist, a poet, and a religious ceremonial leader. Living high on the Hopi mesas, he broke multiple imposed prohibitions on Native American jewelers and despite being excluded in his early years from important shows because his jewelry was not Ïndian enough" he simply continued working and changed the arc of his peoples' jewelry making and universal jewelry culture forever. (Loloma told his doubters, it was sufficient that he was an Indian for his jewelry to be considered Indian jewelry.) Through his modernist influence on jewelry, he transformed the design and lapidary techniques - height inlay, styles of shanks and bezel settings, and the use of new materials - lapis lazuli, wood, gold - in much of southwestern Native American jewelry for generations to come, He introduced this new form of beauty to the broader world. Loloma's pieces can be found in almost all important museums and private collections. Frank Lloyd Wright was a client. Mahnaz Collection carries the finest Loloma jewelry (and select artworks) as well as the jewel works of his only two acknowledged proteges - his niece Verma Nequetewa aka Sonwai, and Eveli Sabatie.

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