We initially made contact with Navajo silversmith Guy Hoskie in December 2005 when we bought some magnificent cluster pendants from him. We have continued to accumulate his work which is always made with fine natural stones. Guy is accomplished in his stampwork and has a good design sense. He is also related to the Reeves Brothers (Sunshine and Gary) and the Cadmans (Darrel, Andy, Donovan & Anderson).

This is one among a group of bracelets we commissioned Guy to make for us. We provided a special group of stones culled specially from our stone bank and specified that he make these pieces using 12- gauge Sterling. We wanted him to work with 12-gauge silver so that he could get deep, biting stampwork that is particularly lush with texture. And, of course, we left the artistry to him in choosing how to decorate the cuffs and complement the stones employing his particular sense of aesthetics.

This cuff is set with a beautiful stone of natural, untreated Carico Lake turquoise from Nevada cut for us by Bruce Mead. This is the sort of hallmark cut that Bruce Mead can achieve with a thick deposit of stone and his ample experience focused on revealing the story of the rock. Seldom will a lapidary get such a large deposit of uninterrupted turquoise and then he must know what to do; how to shape it and polish it to perfection. Though turquoise is often referred to as the sky stone, this elongated egg-shaped stone full of its beautifully subtle flow of currents of blue argues for this being petrified water; time caught in stone, a frozen instant but the instant bespeaking eons and eons of trickling, percolating water deep under ground. Very few large stones of such quality are yielded when cutting a batch of rough turquoise and we save such stones to be used in the best pieces. This exquisite stone inspired Guy to lavish his complimentary praise on it through his fine silverwork. The stone is framed by appliquées, starred buttons and raindrops. This cuff has gently undulating scalloped edges and Guy's skilled, precise stampwork bites deeply into the heavy 12-gauge Sterling

Guy's hallmark consists of his initials "G" and "H" with the word "Sterling" stamped between the letters of his initials.

Stone: 1 7/8" x 15/16"

Weight of stone: 93.5 carats

Width at stone: 2"

Width of cuff: 1 1/2"

Terminal to terminal: 5 1/2"

Gap: 1 1/8"

Total inside circumference (including gap): 6 5/8"