Pete Sierra Navajo Cobblestone Cuff

Pete Sierra is a Navajo silversmith whose name carries weight among collectors of Southwestern work, and this cobblestone cuff shows the reason. Across the top of a wide sterling band he’s set a mosaic of multicolored stones — the cobblestone technique, where each irregular stone is cut and fitted by hand into a tight, flowing field of color. It’s signed sterling with Sierra’s distinctive mark, the guarantee that this is authentic Navajo craftsmanship and not the mass-made lookalikes that copy the style without the skill. A size 6.75, it has real presence on the wrist — over an inch wide at its crown — the kind of statement cuff that reads across a room and rewards a closer look. Native silverwork is one of the great American art forms, made by named artists working in an unbroken tradition. This is a signed example, by one of them, in excellent condition.