Navajo Sterling Silver Kingman Turquoise Buckle - Tim Charlie (#01)
$425.00
Artist: Tim Charlie
3 1/8" x 2 1/2"
Tim Charlie took a sheet of heavy gauge silver and hammered-out a buckle with depth and character. Tim must have a uniquely spatial sense when it comes to silversmith work. He has to hammer his bump-outs from the back of the silver sheet while keeping track of where he will need to stamp the frontal designs. It is a tricky business to be sure, but Tim doesn't sweat it, not one little bit. For added dimension and contrast, Tim has placed an attractive cabochon of natural, spider-web Kingman turquoise. Because every little aspect of Tim's belt buckle is hand fabricated, it has the look and feel of something crafted 100 years ago.
Kingman Turquoise
Kingman Turquoise comes from a large open-pit copper mine in the Mineral Park Mining District, northwest of Kingman, Arizona and was one of the largest turquoise mines in this country. The area lies in high desert country at an elevation of 3,345 feet and is surrounded by three mountain ranges. The mining district around Kingman, Arizona has always been a large producer of turquoise, at one time the world's largest. First mined by Indians, this area was home to the most extensive prehistoric workings found in Arizona.
The modern production of turquoise dates back to the early 1880’s when James Haas rediscovered these ancient Kingman area mines. Much of the turquoise occurred as seams, masses and veins. The color of natural Kingman turquoise can range from light blue to very dark blue and sometimes tints of green. The matrix is from white, light brown to black and frequently flecked with pyrite and times quartz. The mine became famous for its rounded, bright blue nuggets with black matrix. Few turquoise mines produced nuggets, especially of this quality. In its high-grade form it has always been considered among the top quality American turquoise. With so many thousands of pounds of good quality turquoise produced in the Kingman area over the last one hundred years it is hard to believe that today very little high-grade Kingman turquoise is available.
Other names for Kingman turquoise: Ithaca Peak, The Wall, Tiffany, Courtland, Az., Gleeson
Most desirable: Deep Blue with molybdenum pyrite; Real blue with pyrite; Bird's eye; Water Web; Nuggets
Related legends:
Silversmith Work
When and how the Navajo acquired the art of working metals is unknown but there are reasons for supposing that it was introduced among them, or at least more developed and improved upon by them, since the time they have occupied their present country?