Diné Sterling Silver Five Wire Navajo Guild Bracelet [SOLD]

This elegant and simple five-band Navajo bracelet has domed silver bands that are secured at their ends by curved solid silver tips.  The bracelet was designed by a Diné jeweler to fit the contour of the arm, being wider at one side and narrower at the other.

The bracelet is stamped with the hallmark of the Navajo Arts and Crafts Guild, an organization to assist Navajo artists who learned their trade at Indian schools to sell their wares.  It was officially chartered in 1941.

“Craft items were produced at the guild shop, in the homes of the craftsmen, or at community workshops already established on the reservations.  Materials and supplies were issued only to craftsmen who could meet the standards and requirements for quality established by the guild.  These standards were similar to those of the Indian Arts & Crafts Board program—though craftsmen having their own materials, supplies, and workshops could offer their products for sale to the guild.  A full-time manager was hired and one of the first was John Adair.” [Messier & Messier. 2014:68]

Note: when we say Diné, as opposed to Navaho or Navajo, we are referring to the people and not the government.  Since 1969, their government refers to itself as the Navajo Nation.

Condition: very good condition with minor scratches

Provenance; this Diné Sterling Silver Five Wire Navajo Guild Bracelet is from a private collection

Reference: Reassessing Hallmarks of Native Southwest Jewelry by Pat Messier & Kim Messier

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Navajo Nation, Bracelets

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR WRIST FOR BRACELET SIZE