Silver and turquoise Southwest Yei bracelet. Navajo style, maker?

This hinged cuff Yei bracelet looks Navajo, but is not marked. I've seen those 'ribs' on some Navajo Modernist bracelets. It is a Modernist piece, but does anyone recognize the style of a possible maker?
There is a shadowbox encased turquoise (which mine?) in front, a Yei in a cartouche and bone bead in a silver bezel on one side, silver dots and a coral bead in a silver bezel on the other. It closes with a box clasp, which doesn't look typical Navajo to me. It is just marked 925, in a little oval.
Any help is appreciated, as always.

 

A good Dineh/Navajo maker would have signed this. It's Southwestern in style but probably never saw the coast of the US - that doesn't mean it isn't nice, but it's not NA. The 925 suggests very modern to me, and possibly Eastern made.

You could not, by the way, sell this as NA in the USA. It would be illegal.

 

Do you mean the oval it is in? Because Southwestern jewellery, whether Native or not, has been marked 925 for decades. Not just 'sterling', that is a myth. I worked in a Native American art gallery ca. 1980, all jewellery was bought straight from the artists themselves. A lot was marked sterling, but a lot was also marked 925. And in those days not everyone added a maker's mark.

I know, that is why I started the thread with Southwest. It could be a non-Native maker, inspired by Navajo, etc. Modernist style. I added Navajo to the title to attract the attention of those who know Navajo styles. Of course I only sell jewellery as NA if it is NA.

 

Here is something on the use of both sterling and 925:

"But in general, Native American artists began using the STERLING stamp in the 1950s and 1960s. Since then, the STERLING or Sterling or 925 stamps are quite common as are artists’ hallmarks."
https://nativeamericanjewelrytips.wordpress.com/category/hallmarks/925/

 

The fact that it only says 925 and in the oval.

I have a fairly extensive collection of Navajo and other NA jewellery all bought in the US, between 1979 and the early 2000s, although some is much older. Almost all reservation bought.

Mine are pretty well all properly marked for artists, and as to silver content, I can't find any that say 925. Some have no content mark - that's the older pieces - the rest are marked Sterling, SIL, Silver or Sterling Silver. I think the only exception is an old pawn piece bought in 1979 which hasn't a thing on it. That was before the stuff became wildly fashionable.

As to whether it's Southwestern, if it's artisan, mass market like QVC or made for someone like Bell Trading, I'd expect a maker's mark even then. I don't think this is US made. I agree on that clasp, too.

 

Are you on facebook, Any Jewelry? There is a group on there with many knowledgeable folks who may be able to help you identify the origins of your bracelet and possibly from where the turquoise was mined. I was lucky enough to have Bille Hougart ID a mark for me.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/411905612155015/

 

I've never seen a clasp like that on a NA bracelet .

 

Me too. Mine are mostly open bangles, with a couple of hook and eye ones, and I think one spring ring.

 

No, neither have I. That's why I think it is non-native.
The whole execution, the colour of the silver and the turquoise look Southwest. The coral looks Mediterranean, which is what they use in the Southwest. Whatever it is, I'd like to know.
Judging by the wear on the silver it is not recent, probably 70s. I am not aware of Asian copies of that period, nor is the coral Asian.
It has also been adjusted at some stage, a small panel has been added next to the clasp, though not very elegantly. This was probably done in Germany, where the previous owner lives.

 

No I am not, I have been considering it, but that is about as far as I got. But you've just given me one more reason to join.

 

It looks like it could be Sleeping Beauty. Most Sleeping Beauty turquoise I have doesn't have a lot of vein. But the colour of the one in this bracelet is right for SB, and I have found some examples that look like the one in the bracelet, here is one:

http://www.silvereaglegallery.com/shop/mens-zuni-ray-nieto-turquoise-snake-ring-size-10-½/

 

Far too much vein for SB.

 

If you would rather not , I could ask that group for you ... (with your permission to use your photos from this thread)

Facebook is not simply a means to show your friends what you are about to eat for dinner ... although there is way too much of that going on there. Certain groups can actually be pretty good resources for identification. There are some which specialize in specific areas (e.g. studio pottery, art glass, Japanese ceramics, Early American glass (one of my favorites) ... etc), that can be very helpful ... in addition to the wealth of knowledge found here at this site, of course .

 

Quirkygirl, thanks for the offer, so kind, I would be very grateful if you would. And of course you can use the photos.
My brain has been in too much of an overload situation lately, doing something new where I have to make up passwords, tick boxes, etc. is a bit beyond me at the moment. I have stopped ordering things for a while, and even my posts here get edited five or more times. After I've managed to find the 'edit' button, that is.
Just in case they need it, here is a close up of the shadowbox:

 

Consider it done
I'm about to message you for some more info ....

 

Here's what has been said about the bracelet so far: It's a contemporary design, and while the hinges, clasp, and '925' stamp are not typical to NA pieces, it has shown up before. They thought it was odd with so much work put into the bracelet, that it was not signed. So, there was no conclusive answer as far as origin or artist ... but they do think the stone is probably either Kingman or Sleeping Beauty mine.

 

Yes, my thoughts too.

Wonderful job Quirky, thanks a lot for all your hard work!
You got me closer to 'something'. I have a bit more to go on, especially with the turquoise. Possible Sleeping Beauty or Kingman, both are good mines. Kingman often has white in the matrix, which this turquoise has a bit of.
No mention of Asia, as I thought. Asian fakes have that chromium-like silver, this silver looks Southwestern to me. Besides, what would this be a fake of, if no one seems to recognize an artist.
Please thank them for me.

 

It may not be a fake, but it could still be made outside the US, emulating SW and of good silver.

 

I googled Southwest bracelet box clasp, and several Navajo bracelets turned up, none like mine so far. There are several Navajo ones on this page, some also combined with hinges:
https://nativeamericanjewelrytips.wordpress.com/category/bracelets/sterling-silver-bracelets/
Here is a hinged and box clasp one by Jay Boyd, Navajo:

Although I thought my bracelet is possibly non-Native Southwest, the only Southwest box clasp bracelets I could find were Navajo.

 

maybe you're on to something....