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A completely unique old-style “Revival” Navajo copper and turquoise cuff bracelet by Quaid Shorty, 2025
This beautiful, old-looking, but brand-spanking new Navajo copper bracelet would have been much more
likely made in 1905 than in 2025. In 1905, and even more so for the two decades preceding, from 1885
to 1905, Navajo copper bracelets were more common than Navajo silver bracelets were.
There were several reasons for this, first and second among them were the availability and cost of materials. Silver was extremely scarce in the early 20th Century Navajo Reservation particularly in its more remote areas which was basically everywhere in 1900 because silver was essentially a “hard” foreign currency, American dollars or Mexican pesos, in a predominantly completely local trade economy. If one wanted to acquire enough silver to make a bracelet, around three-plus a bit American silver dollars worth in this case, one might have had to trade a couple of horses or a good number of sheep. Better perhaps to use those things to get your important household necessities such as coffee, flour, lard and medicine and use your beat-up old copper coffee pot or scrap telegraph wire or a small handful of copper pennies to make your bracelet with.
The Traditional late 19th, early 20th Century method of making Navajo copper bracelets, from stovetop or pocket to wrist.
An old copper cooking pot or a handful of pennies would be melted down to form a copper cast-ingot “slug” as pictured above at center. The copper “slug” would then be heated and hammered and re-heated and hammered out repeatedly to form the copper shank of the bracelet which was then decorated with repoussee and stampwork after which the turquoise stone would be added in a handmade copper bezel attached with silver solder. Today, this older, traditional method can be shortened somewhat by using pre-made commercial cast copper slugs or sheets, no more need for pots or pennies.
This was the general situation until around 1910-1920 when silver gradually became more widely available and in forms other than currency, but using common copper and brass for making jewelry persisted in the far-flung reaches of Navajoland such as the rugged and remote area around Navajo Mountain throughout the 1930’s and it was also used to make limited numbers of “Revival”-style pieces by the United Indian Trader’s Association in Santa Fe. The use of copper for making Southwestern Native American jewelry was “revived” again to some degree in the 1960’s, 70’s and 80’s by a few adventurous traditional silversmiths such as Navajo silversmith, McKee Platero and Acoma/Laguna Pueblo silversmith, Greg Lewis.
Now enter the very talented young contemporary Navajo silversmith, Quaid Shorty (b.1999), son of the renowned Master Navajo silversmith, Perry Shorty (b.1965). Under his brilliant Father’s careful tutelage, Quaid has become an up and coming rapidly rising superstar in Navajo jewelry. Like his talented Father, Quaid works in a distinctly older traditional classic style often using cast-ingot silver melted down from historic American coins. For his old-style point of view and traditional methodology, a few months ago, we commissioned Quaid to make us several copper bracelets in the old Navajo style which he said he had never done before and this unique bracelet is one of the very happy and very beautiful results.
At the moment, this is a completely one-of-a-kind piece unless for some reason Quaid decides to make another one which he might not since he said that making this one was so difficult. Copper is a considerably more complex and problematic metal to work with than silver. Its melting point is some 15% higher and it is 20% harder than silver on the standard Mohs metal hardness scale neaning that it is that much more difficult to hammer and form. All that didn’t deter Quaid from doing masterful work here however, the bracelet is a tour de force of absolute gorgeousness, beautifully decorated with elaborate repoussee and stampwork all revolving around a handsome center stone setting of Morenci, Arizona turquoise, a most fitting stone to use as Morenci, like almost all American turquoise, is a by-product of copper mining and Morenci is a particularly beautiful stone from a particularly important historic copper mine.
The bracelet measures an impressive 1 1/2" plus a hair in continuous width all the way around. The inner circumference end-to-end is 5 7/8" and the gap between the terminals is 1 1/16” for a total interior circumference of 6 15/16" just a hair under 7". The bracelet weighs a very satisfying and quite comfortable
83 grams or 2 7/8 ounces, about 30 pennies weight of copper. The bracelet is in brand-new original condition. Since we received it from Quaid we have only worn it only once or twice for an hour or soand only around our home. It is already starting to develop the attractive reddish-orangeish-brownish patina that copper takes on with age. The bracelet is properly signed “QES” for Quaid E. Shorty on the interior.
This bracelet is a uniquely rare “Revival” of a classic old Navajo style and form from the talented hands
of a young Navajo master silversmith, a fine prize to own, wear and admire for its history, beauty and superb, decidedly old-style Navajo craftsmanship.
Price $2,400
