Collection
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Arts of the Americas

Wrist Guard

Navajo

Object Label

Silver entered the southwest through trade with Europeans, and was readily added to the accoutrements of the Navajo people. In the 1850s, Atsidi Sani (Old Smith) became the first Navajo man to learn silversmithing. From him, techniques such as soldering and appliqué spread throughout the tribe, and by 1880 many Navajos had mastered the art. In large singular inlays or clusters of stone, turquoise began to appear on silver ornaments as a sign of wealth and status. The more silver and turquoise an individual had, the higher his or her status in the eyes of other Navajos.

Caption

Navajo. Wrist Guard, 20th century. Hide, turquoise, silver, 3 5/8 x 2 1/2 in. (9.2 x 6.4 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc., 86.224.158.

Gallery

Not on view

Culture

Navajo

Title

Wrist Guard

Date

20th century

Medium

Hide, turquoise, silver

Classification

Accessory

Dimensions

3 5/8 x 2 1/2 in. (9.2 x 6.4 cm)

Credit Line

Gift of the Ernest Erickson Foundation, Inc.

Accession Number

86.224.158

Frequent Art Questions

  • How did the turquoise come to be used in the Americas?

    The word turquoise dates to the 17th century and is derived from the French "turquoise" for Turkish because the mineral was first brought to Europe through Turkey.
    Native Americans had their own names for the stone, which also occurred naturally in the US and was mined here! For example, among the Navajo, the word for the color is Dootł'izh.
    Awesome, thanks!!!

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Artists and makers

Navajo

423 works in the collection