This is a Navajo cuff from the late Fred Harvey Era. The Fred Harvey Era was a time between the 1900s to 1950s where the Santa Fe Railroad made its way through the American Southwest. A consequence of this was a particular style of cuff bracelet sold by the Fred Harvey Company became popular amongst Native American artisans, as they were some of the first to produce cuffs in this style. Though many other styles of cuffs were made before and after this, the Fred Harvey Company popularized the style. This is a common feedback mechanism where markets for a type of art being popular ensures that artists produce more of that type of art. We see it in every art market.

What’s the style? Usually, sheet silver or rolled ingots stamped with various Southwestern or Native American themes. Oftentimes appliques with stampwork are attached. The cuffs tend to have a lower profile than ingot or sandcast pieces that were culturally popular at that time also. The cuffs are usually emblazoned with various stamps and then patinated with liver of sulphur to add contrast between the stamped elements and the polished surface of the cuff. That was very technical and boring.

What does this mean? Well, these cuffs eventually fell out of style as more updated styles appeared with each subsequent decade once the era ended (the 1950s). These cuffs were at one time sold by weight for scrap, so many of them ended up being melted down and turned into Mickey Mouse pendants, plating for resort level salad tongs, and curb link bracelets for budget-conscious mobsters. It’s a shame really, but that’s how markets work.

There was a revival during the early 2010s as newer Navajo artists reached back for inspiration. As they added more applique, repousse, and used “old style” pieces for inspiration, people came to see the older pieces as part of an American design capsule. Navajo artisans are an integral part of that capsule called American style and we’re just beginning to comprehend their impact on American fashion. Yes, you have your modernist styles of the Atlantic states, your plaids of the Midwest, and your Asian-Pacific-inspired styles of California. But we don’t recognize that many of the Western and Southwestern styles that belong in the American tradition stem from Spanish, Scotch-Irish, and Native influences in the Southwest.

So, you wear pieces like this with other elements of the Southwestern capsule. There are Levi’s, Wranglers, and other brands that are staples of that style and overlap with others. There are also companies like Madewell and Anthropologie that make items that fit the style. On the higher end, there are labels like RRL from Ralph Lauren along with pieces from Levi’s from the 1940s. Those tend to be more exclusive pieces that can run into the thousands (limited runs to 80 - 100-year-old vintage in the case of Levi’s). So you can always find something from the American capsule to wear with these pieces. They also work well to “spice up” plain shirts, floral dresses, and other elements of modern clothing. You should have at least a few in your wardrobe as the revival, like most art and fashion revivals, means they’re here to stay. Just like modernist blouses of the 1920s, plaid shirts of the 1950s, and designer denim of the 1980s, we’ve found where they belong in a wardrobe.