Description
Mark Chee (1914-1981) Silver Pin with turquoise 1 5/8" wide x 1.25" tall x 13.1 grams. 100% guaranteed authentic with no issues. Very few Mark Chee pins have made it to the secondary market. <br><br>Mark Chee (1914-1981) Biography<br>Navajo artist, Mark Chee is among the earliest southwest silversmiths. Mark Chee is known for traditional stamp work and high quality stone settings in unusually heavy silver. He was born in Lukachukai, Arizona around 1900 and was sent to government school at Fort Defiance (a United States government practice during that time) from the age of 10 to the 11thgrade. He is the elder brother of Joe Chee. <br><br>He was active during the 1930s through ‘60s. He specialized in heavy silver in old style designs. He began polishing silver in Julius Gans’ Southwest Art and Crafts shop in Santa Fe for $5.00 a week. He then bought a few tools and used them all his life. He quickly became an accomplished silversmith and was hired as a bench smith at Frank Patania’s Thunderbird Shop and later at Al Packard’s shop on the Santa Fe Plaza. He was also a bench-smith for the Wooden Indian at Embudo, New Mexico. <br><br>His hallmark is a stamp of a bird with his last name in the body in Gothic print. There are several versions of this mark but rather than being a separate stamp they may be due to the angle of his strike.<br><br> Marked or unmarked as shown in pics, weight and other measurements in pics. Sorry but my jewelry is stored in a secure location and cannot be accessed for more pictures,<br>videos, or measurements until sold. If you look at pictures/description your<br>question should be answered. Thank you so much for your time and consideration!<br><br>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. Bracelets are photographed on a 6" women's wrist.
