Total - 6.75
Length - 5.5 in.
Gap - 1.25 in.

Selecting gorgeous pieces of turquoise and finishing them with fine sterling silver details is what Mary Ann Spencer's pieces are all about. Here we have three pieces of Valley Blue turquoise, a rare turquoise from a mine in Nevada. It’s an unusual shade of blue with a white and brown matrix. I am resisting saying “it’s gorgeous!” because I’m quite sure you agree.

One awesome aspect of this range of Mary Ann Spencer pieces (the three stones with three wires range) is that their symmetry and size make them perfect to mix with modernist jewelry. Why does this matter? Well, since the ‘50s, our jewelry has essentially become modernist. Most silver jewelry is modernist stuff. This also goes with our wardrobes, as we’ve sort of settled into modernist clothing with various accents from other artistic/cultural movements. Most of our Madewell, Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, Anthropologie stuff is modernist. On occasion, you’ll see some ethnic accents or pieces from other cultures, like a peasant blouse. But we’d decided that this is how women’s clothing should look. I disagree in part because I wear all sorts of nonsense. But I’d have to admit that I’m awash in modern blouses. We all have a shirt with a bow on it, don’t we?

So why does this matter? Well, when purchasing jewelry we have two options. Jewelry as the statement or jewelry as the accent. If you go with jewelry as the statement, your jewelry decides what you can wear. Yellow gold has this effect at times. Sometimes you can’t wear a yellow gold bracelet with your western wear. Not because they don’t wear gold out west, but because “All clothing is costume” (to quote the often used aphorism). We’re really just playing dress-up. We’re expressing cultural identity, group membership, and affinity. We’re expressing how we feel in all black at a funeral. Sometimes we’re saying things about our attitudes within the culture. Sometimes we’re just having fun. Sometimes we *want to* break the rules. But most times, we want to get the outfit right without being boring. That’s what this cuff does. It works with the stuff you have while breaking a rule enough to be fun. And isn’t that it?

It’s turquoise, but one most people don’t have. It’s detailed which communicates effort and workmanship. It communicates that it’s not an everyday piece and comes from someplace special – like the American Southwest. It says that whoever made this is skilled. It communicates clearly that it’s of the Navajo tradition of silversmithing – one of the most important movements in that medium. It carries with it a history but sits squarely in the now. If that’s what you want to communicate with your outfit, this will work.

I'm in awe of Mary Ann Spencer.