Sterling Silver Kingman Turquoise Mary Ann Spencer Navajo Cuff Bracelet

[Size]
Bracelet Length: 5.5 in.
Gap Width: 1 in.
Total Size: 6.5 in.

This is a sterling silver Navajo cuff by Mary Ann Spencer. Do you see those small sterling silver stamped appliques surrounding the turquoise? That isn’t easy to do. It’s difficult to communicate to you how difficult that is (see what I did there). And to get that level of detail takes a steady hand and lots of practice. When you see fine details like that in a piece, you should know that this is the work of someone who’s an expert at their craft.

At the center of this piece is a beautiful piece of Kingman water-webbed turquoise. It’s a difficult turquoise to get, but a favorite amongst masters and collectors alike. Why? It’s really pretty for starters. But those of us who ogle turquoise know that amongst our peers it’s a recognizably rare gemstone. The brown stuff in the turquoise is the host stone, or matrix. Pieces with some matrix are often prized because it leaves little doubt that the piece is natural turquoise and not plastic of some sort. There’s also an artistic element to the matrix being in the turquoise -- it breaks up the monotony of just a “sea of blue”. It’s like a painter painting the ocean. Without the rocks to the left or some “action” as an art instructor would put it, you may as well douse the canvas in blue paint. Matrix gives your eyes something to look at. People with an artistic eye know this, so when they pick, cut, and polish the turquoise, they often want some of that host stone in there. It’s more interesting to look at.

And there. I just explained why this Mary Ann Spencer piece is all the superlatives I could abuse to tell you what you already knew. It’s gorgeous, sure. But why? It’s at once an appreciation for fine detail along with the skill necessary to bring that vision to life. It’s the natural stone in the center along with all of the skills necessary to bring out the best in the stone. To imagine why this is enviable, imagine me trying to do this. You’d end up with a pile of wire, pulverized turquoise powder, and me with several injuries of varying sorts. I couldn’t do it. It would take me decades of work to make a piece with symmetry like this. That’s why I don’t even bother. I just wear them. It’s safer for us all.