The patina is perfect against the turquoise and the design is just right. I think this is made from ingot silver because of the hammer/roll marks on the back of the piece. A classic Harvey style cuff with one center oval turquoise stone flanked by four round stones, all set in smooth silver bezels. Details include arrows and scallop stamping on a single shank cuff with wire design overlays. Here is another keeper!
DETAILS:
Inner Circumference: 5 3/8"
Gap: 1"
Total Circumference (Wrist Size): 6 3/8"
Front Center Height: 1 1/4"
Front Center Stone: 1" x 1/2" oval
8 s\Side Stones: 5mm round
Weight: 36.2 grams
Hallmark/s: None
NOTE:
Enlarged photos will exaggerate surface marks. Please do not confuse reflections in photos with damage. As with most vintage pieces you can expect some signs of wear, tarnish, slight cracks or minor misshape from age and use.
ABOUT FRED HARVEY ERA JEWELRY
When one refers to "Fred Harvey era" jewelry, one is generally speaking about this genre of jewelry that was made for sale to the Anglo tourist along the Santa Fe railroad lines, in hotels and retail shops run primarily by the Fred Harvey Company. The name, Fred Harvey, is a quite famous one in Southwestern history.
The Fred Harvey Company was very instrumental in exposing the Southwest and its enchanting residents to the Eastern United States population. The Company popularized the artists of the Southwest by advertising their arts on the AT&SF Railway calendars and publications. Tourists from the east traveled to New Mexico to experience the romance touted by the Fred Harvey Company.
The Company stocked its many hotel gift shops with Native American crafts and the tourists bought them by the thousands. A very popular item of course was Native-style jewelry. This bracelet is a style preferred by the Company and it sold very well. Bracelets with bows, arrows, and Indian images were the rage.
Today, Fred Harvey era jewelry is widely collected and sought after. Easy to wear, and generally with a fair amount of ornamentation/stamping, Fred Harvey jewelry is an enjoyable genre of Indian jewelry that takes us back 100 years and can leave us wondering, "how would I have felt if I purchased this item along the Santa Fe railroad in 1910? What would my life have looked like, back then?"
ABOUT COIN SILVER
Coin Silver is 90% pure silver and 10% copper. The silver content is 2.5% less than Sterling and is the same composition as American coins made prior to 1964. Silver is most often alloyed with copper for strength. The Coin Silver standard was established in the US in the 1820s. This grade of silver was used in the silver coinage of the US hence the term "coin" silver. Before the practice was outlawed Native Americans would melt down silver coins to make jewelry until they were able to obtain commercially made ingots and sheet silver. A silversmith with a rush order could, literally, reach into his pocket.