Diné of the Navajo Nation Split Shank Cuff with Seven Inner Strips [SOLD]

This sterling silver bracelet is stamped with the initials WB and the word Sterling. The only published listing for those initials is Diné of the Navajo Nation Silversmith Wilbert Benally. There is no published information on Wilbert Benally, but he is listed only with those initials. In the past, we have had an identical bracelet that was identified as the work of Johnny Mike Begay, but his logo is a combination of initials JMB.

We are stating that his sterling silver contemporary bracelet was made by Diné artist Wilbert Benally in a style popularized by the artists at the White Hogan Gallery of Scottsdale, Arizona, in the 1950s and ‘60s. Inspired by the Danish Modern work of Georg Jenson, Diné artists used traditional Native silversmithing methods to create pieces with a sleek, modern appearance. The style was extremely popular, and the gallery and its artists were featured in Life Magazine.

Johnny Mike Begay was an active silversmith until 1976. He was one of those who worked at the White Hogan. He was a jeweler associated with Dean Kirk, John Kennedy, and White Hogan-all dealers in Native arts and crafts. Begay lived in Houck, Arizona. He received several awards at the 1976 Santa Fe Indian Market, apparently the last year of his life. His work was included in "Jewels of the Southwest" at the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe in 2002.

We can only speculate that Wilbert Benally created jewelry in the White Hogan style of Johnny Mike Begay. To render works in the likeness of those of a previous artist is a compliment to the earlier artist.

HOW TO MEASURE YOUR WRIST FOR BRACELET SIZE

Condition: very good condition

Provenance: this Diné of the Navajo Nation Split Shank Cuff with Seven Inner Strips is from the collection of a client from Colorado

Recommended Reading: The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths by John Adair. University of Oklahoma Press, Norman, 1944

TAGS: Diné of the Navajo Nation, Southwest Indian Jewelry, Wilbert Benally