Augustine Mowa - Hopi Sterling Silver 1/2" Wide Cuff Bracelet - 6 7/8" For Sale

This sterling silver cuff bracelet has been beautifully crafted by traditional Hopi artist Augustine Mowa Jr. This bracelet has some elegant and unique Hopi designs with contrasting etched background.
This 1/2" wide cuff bracelet measures 5 3/4" around the inside with an additional 1 1/8" opening at the back for a total of 6 7/8" around. It weighs 25.6 grams. The bracelet is signed with Augustine's sun, moon and star hallmark and stamped sterling. The bracelet is in new-vintage condition and has never been worn. It came out of the inventory of a trading post that closed here in Sedona.

Augustine Mowa is of the Sun clan and of the village of Shungopavi at Hopi. He has been making unique overlay jewelry for the past 30 years. When asked, he says that the designs of his jewelry reflect the Hopi cultural and ceremonial influence in his daily life. He says that some of his designs are inspired by the Creatures of Feathers, the majestic birds found around us. They may also symbolize the Rain, Clouds, Water, Mountains and the animals, the deer, bear, wild turkey.

Throughout the 40 years that I have been in business, I have purchased jewelry from pawn shops throughout the Southwest that had collections of dead pawn. Most of these pawn shops and trading posts are now closed. The Native American would pawn his jewelry for immediate cash. The shop would hold it and charge interest until he could reclaim it. Dead pawn are the pieces that were never retrieved. Old Pawn Jewelry typically dates from the early 1900s to the 1970s. Most of the early pieces are not signed because it wasn't the Native American tradition to sign the pieces they crafted. Also, the turquoise in old pawn is turquoise that you can't get anymore because many of the mines have closed. And, the red and orange coral is rare because of the coral bleaching which is happening today.