Navajo Indian Jewelry TURQUOISE CORAL SILVER Belt Buckle by Native American artist Muskett 0926-BB
Made by Navajo artist Wilbur Muskett. Genuine,deep "Red Gold" Coral branch nuggets circling a Sterling Silver hand cut Bear Paw with a genuine Turquise nugget in the shadow box center to highlight. Hand stamped details in tradtional Navajo design. The buckle is 3-1/8" by 2-3/8" signed by the artist and stamped Sterling. The existence of coral for Adornment, and it's great demand in our world , dates back over ten thousand years. The name for this is "Moorish or Oxblood Jewelry" Quality Coral is also referred to as RED GOLD!! In Indian folklore it is said that there was once a chief with turquoise colored skin. One day he was running from his enemies in the hot desert. Whenever he stopped to rest, his perspiration ran onto the ground, collected in rocks and became turquoise. There are many legends about Turquoise; The Pima consider it to bring good fortune and strength and that it helped overcome illness. The Zuni believe that blue turquoise was male and of the sky and green turquoise was female and of the earth. Pueblo Indians thought that its color was stolen from the sky. In Hopi legend the lizard who travels between the above and the below, excretes turquoise and that the stone can hold back floods. The Apache felt that turquoise on a gun or bow made it shoot straight. The Navajo consider it as good fortune to wear and believe it could appease the Wind Spirit. A potent source of strength was the bear, whose powers were often invoked before entering battle. Warriors sometimes painted their faces with marks resembling bear claw scratches and carried double-edged knives with handles carved from the jawbones of bears as good luck charms. It was believed that bear power could also cure illness. Shamans or medicine men from many different groups frequently dressed as bears when working to heal the sick. Just as honoring the bear spirit could bring blessings to people, provoking the spirit might bring them harm. For that reason, some tribes, most notably the Apache, forbade their hunters to kill a bear, or even to touch the carcass of one found dead in the woods. We understand the true value and nature of hand crafted Indian art. And, we recognize that it is important to know that the artist is truly a member of a Native American tribe. So, to ensure you that this is the real deal, a Certificate of Authenticity has been included with this item. CERTIFIED AUTHENTIC |