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Turquoise & Silver Ring American, Circa 1920s

About the Item

This sleek, graphic turquoise and silver ring was created near the 1920s, and is consistent in design, quality, and materials to rings created by the Zuni nation; however the ring is not signed. And therefore, it cannot be sold as "Native American." Some people prefer to retain the "patina" almost always encountered on rings created by Native Americans. But this has always puzzled me. When Queen Elizabeth toured Africa and wore her favorite diamond crown, that crown was thoroughly cleaned and polished. I don't recall ever seeing Frank Ghery or Elsa Peretti or Paloma Picasso silver jewelry by Tiffany with such a heavy patina the item is black. I've never understood why it seems only Native American jewelry is considered more valuable when it's never been cleaned. Why does the grime that coats the artist's creation allegedly make it more prized? The artist who created this ring chose each tiny cabochon of Turquoise carefully, polishing each by hand, and setting them in a raised bezel. The design is crisp, specific. Silver is the most reflective precious metal -when it's polished. The shine of this ring is so bright, the vivid blue of the turquoise "dots" almost float magically above the finger. Whether Native American or not, it is a ring built by a skilled artist in the desert sun below the bluest sky. The design of this ring -created over a century ago- strikes me as shockingly ahead of its time. It's like a silver and turquoise representation of the digital future. I look at it and see ones and zeros. Or an LCD screen enlarged 300%. With it's original high polish restored, this ring looks much as it did after the artist created it. Though of course it has earned a patina -soft scratches, dings, dents that happen as a jewel travels through time. But dirt and oxidation have been removed. Some silver jewelry is designed to feature areas that are oxidized. But when a silver jewel is fully "polishable", it seems to me it ought to be polished. The design of this ring is so simple, yet somehow predictive. Currently a size six, it could be resized by your local jeweler.

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