Vintage Navajo Bracelet of Black Onyx Solitaire Set in Silver

In the realm of Southwestern Native American jewelry, there's so much more than just turquoise! There's a vast diversity of design, techniques and materials. 

Take, for example, this unique vintage bracelet by Navajo jeweler Rose Swett. It's beautifully set with a solitary onyx stone, black as a dark, starless sky.

The large and lustrous solitaire setting sits slightly above the narrower band of the bracelet just for extra drama. Also captivating is the off-set nature of the onyx stone - rather than being perfectly centered in the silver work, the stone is framed with two layers of silver and file work on one side and just one layer on the other. The result is decidedly modern!

Even in the silver bracelet band, there's charming asymmetry: one side is decorated with an arrow stamp and the other with parallel lines. How wonderful!

The piece comes from the collection of an artist, and it's small details such as the ones mentioned above that would have been so attractive to an artist's eye.

An interesting aside on this bracelet by Rose Swett is that her work is often misattributed to another Navajo jeweler, Roger Skeet, because both artist hallmarks are "RS". Even though the marks are different, casual sellers often don't take the time and effort to properly credit the hands that actually created the work they're selling. Isn't that unfair and reductionist! Each individual artist deserves to be celebrated for their unique jewelry!

So if you are the lucky buyer of this original, one-of-a-kind bracelet, make sure you celebrate the talented and creative woman who made it: Rose Swett!

Bracelet measures 5 5/16" inside plus an opening of 1 1/16" (the opening can be carefully adjusted). The band width is 3/8" and the stone measures about 1" without including the silver work.