Vintage Navajo or Pueblo Silver Overlay Bracelet of Silver With Birds

The dual bird design on this silver overlay bracelet is outstanding! The bold and flowing curved neck bird figures are taken from traditional New Mexico Pueblo pottery designs. Images like these are captivating on Zia and Santo Domingo pottery, and translated onto a silver cuff it's a whole other level of greatness.

The vintage bracelet is either Navajo or Pueblo made. It's unsigned, so it's hard to be 100% certain, however, it's most likely Navajo. Why not Hopi with the overlay designs? The hand stamped top and bottom border are not a typical Hopi design element. In addition, if you look closely, you'll see the negative oxidized pattern of the birds is not stippled. Except for the earliest Hopi overlay jewelry, it would be highly unusual to not have stippling inside the oxidized portion of Hopi overlay. Finally, the cuff itself is curved, more rounded or domed in the body, which tends to be more of a Navajo bracelet characteristic. The Hopi overlay cuffs you find are more than likely to be flatter. 

This stunning graphic cuff measures 5 1/4" inside with a 5 1/2" opening that can be gently closed. The width is 1 1/4".

Just for fun, take a gander at this breathtaking Zia jar at the Denver Art Museum. Then, watch Kewa potter Robert Tenorio with one of his exceptional bird jars. I promise it's worth it.