Kirk Smith is a prolific Navajo silversmith of wide renown. I have been buying his work since 1994 and have watched his career rise and his skills advance over nearly a decade. He was one of the early pioneers of the "old pawn" look in Navajo silverwork and is known particularly for his traditional interpretations of bracelets and concha belts.

This round box is a seldom-executed design that Kirk has done for a couple of years. I have had his cluster bracelets on this website and this box is another testament to his exacting mastery in setting cluster designs in perfect symmetry. He has interspersed a gently s-curved repoussé motif throughout which has its origins in early Navajo belt buckles ( see p. 33, John Adair, The Navajo and Pueblo Silversmiths, University of Oklahoma Press). His stampwork is extremely precise and he's made liberal use of various sizes of scallop stamps to create complex, unifying designs.

The container portion was created with one long strip of sheet silver measuring 2 3/4" wide and 18 1/4" long. After executing his stampwork and repoussé motifs and attaching his bezels to receive the stones, this long strip was rolled to a soft curve and attached to the bottom of the box. Three 3/16"-wide narrow vertical strips were attached to the outside surface of the box, with one of these covering the vertical solder line on the wall of the cylinder.

The lid of the box fits perfectly, holding tightly in its place but not offering undue resistance to remove it. The lid itself is domed and its edge is sculpted to reiterate the scallop patterns throughout the design. Scallop stamps mark this scallop-cut edge. The lid overhangs the sides by approximately 1/4". Rising from the center of the domed lid is a turquoise encrusted handle whose top cluster is surrounded by twist wire. Twenty small oval cabochons are set vertically around the cluster which forms the top of this handle. The handle rises approximately 1" above the top of the lid.

The box stands on four feet which are constructed of oversized starred buttons. Two buttons fused at their conical bases form each foot. The bottom of the container, therefore, stands approximately 7/16" above the surface on which it stands.  The hallmark "Kirk Smith" in script appears on the bottom of the container and it is also stamped "Sterling" on this surface.

Stones: (8) oval cabochons 9/16" x 3/8"; (98) small oval cabochons 1/4" x 5/32"

Diameter of cylinder: 5 3/4"          Height of cylinder wall: 2 3/4"

Diameter of domed lid: 6 1/4"          Handle: rises 1" above lid

Height to top of handle from table: 4 7/8"

*This item will ship to domestic destinations via Federal Express Two-Day Air and will require a signature for delivery.

**This item is not available for shipment to foreign destinations.