Maisel Company Triple Row Bracelet [SOLD]

At first glance, this bracelet looks like a typical bracelet of the mid-20th century of the style where the artist made three single bracelets and attached them together to make a wider bracelet.  But, when examining the underside, it is obvious that it was made originally as a single bracelet. The silver framework is all connected as a single piece and not as three strips put together.

Closer examination reveals that it was most likely made by a Native craftsman working at Maisel’s Indian Trading Post, in Albuquerque.  In 1923, Mr. Maisel opened his first store which was directly across the street from the Fred Harvey Alvarado Hotel in downtown Albuquerque.  Maisel’s designed the jewelry and had its own Indian smiths produce it on site.  Maisel had more than a hundred Navajo and Pueblo artisans producing jewelry and, to expedite production, had machines for punching and stamping jewelry which the Indians used in their manufacturing processes. The jewelry from the Maisel Company was Indian made on site.  In a later location on Central Avenue in downtown Albuquerque, there was a hole cut into the floor where customers could look down and see the Indian jewelers working, a very popular tourist attraction of the time.

The bracelet was made from a flat silver strip which was cut with a punch machine which was operated by the craftsman who then finished the bracelet by hand.  There were Navajo and Zuni craftsmen working and it is not necessarily clear which artisan worked on which piece as the process was an assembly line one where artisans were rotated every two weeks to prevent boredom and so that each smith learned all processes.

Turquoise was cut according to prescribed shapes and sizes and provided to the smiths to fit what they were making.  There is no mention in the literature when or if the Maisel Company ever used composite turquoise in its jewelry.  It has been noted, however, that the turquoise in this bracelet appears to be of composite materials, that is, turquoise remnants mixed with a binding agent.

This bracelet is a stunning creation, probably from the Maisel Indian Trading Post, made in an assembly line process by a number of Indian silversmiths working at and for Maisel, while gaping tourists stood on the floor above looking down on the Indians as they worked.  This is a piece of history representing the early Indian jewelry legacy that started to greatly interest collectors in the early 20^th century.

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: from a family from Santa Fe

Recommended Reading: The Native American Curio Trade in New Mexico by Jonathan Batkin