Description
7.25" 40‘s-50‘s Large Ondelacy Blue Gem turquoise cluster cuff bracelet, measurements in pics. No issues, CG Wallace code on reverse side. Nice old bracelet Natural American turquoise, solid sterling silver from the second quarter of the 20th century.
ONDELACY, WARREN & DORIS (Zuni, active.1940-1960‘s). Specialized in large Zuni cluster work. Warren was considered a master silversmith along with his wife Doris. Recognizable techniques of silver repousse work often accompanied their designs along with the consistent use of high quality materials. Trader C. G. Wallace, retained many of the Ondelacy‘s pieces for his private collection.
The Blue Gem Mine site is near Battle Mountain in Lander County, Nevada. Originally opened in 1934 as the Battle Mountain mine, the Blue Gem Mine has produced a huge variety of Turquoise, from dark greens to dark blues and everything in between. The Blue Gem Mine is known to be a particularly deep deposit of turquoise, with some mine shafts descending 800 feet below the surface. The turquoise found in the Blue Gem mine is some of the highest quality turquoise found in Nevada. Due to its depth in the ground, Blue Gem turquoise is an extremely hard, gem-grade turquoise stone (hence the name). An unusually high percentage of Blue Gem Turquoise is higher grade, hard stones that do not require stabilization. Artists love working with Blue Gem because of its hardness, deep colors, and ability to hold a beautiful polish.
All precious metals are tested and guaranteed. A Native American jewelry piece referred to as "silver" or "ingot" is guaranteed to be at least 90% silver. I rarely use the word "sterling" when referring to older Native American silver or really any older silver jewelry as silver contents vary and "sterling" is 92.5% silver. No older jewelry is going to be exactly 92.5% silver, some a little over, some a little under. It wasn‘t an exact thing with handmade jewelry. I‘ve seen thousands of pieces xrf‘d to prove this. Bracelets are photographed on a 6" women‘s wrist.
