Wilbur Tracy ‘80s Navajo pieces belong in a museum. Why? Well, the ‘80s was a VERY important time for Navajo and Southwestern jewelry in general. Why? Two words: The Hunt Brothers. That’s three words, but you understand what I’m saying.

Anyway, the ‘80s ushered in a new era in silversmithing. From January 1979 to January 1980, silver prices jumped from $6 to $49 per oz. That’s roughly $19 dollars to $160 dollars today. Now this made many people holding silver bullion and certificates immensely wealthy. But it also meant that artisans that work in the medium had to pay a premium for pieces. Which meant that customers then had to absorb that premium. And remember, artists don’t pay the trading price. They pay the price at the stores,, which is often a 20% premium on top of the trading price.

Just prior to this, silver prices were quite stable. This meant that the boom in Native American art that happened during the ‘70s benefitted many artists. Back then, for cultural reasons, pieces were often larger and paid homage to turn of the century Navajo pieces that had a more rugged appearance. This wave came after the shadow-box era, the art-nouveau era, and the Fred Harvey era. The ‘70s boom saw many magazines and tv shows saw artists like Sonny and Cher sporting Native designed and manufactured jewelry. The ‘70s would also see the AIM movement move to reclaim indigenous identity, musical groups like Redbone, and Richard Pryor’s buddy Charlie Hill take center stage. It was a time when other Americans became aware of Native American issues as well as the arts they made for sale and trade.

So what does all of this have to do with this piece? Well the instability of silver prices led to the ‘70s era coming to an end. It’s influences are still felt every time you see a huge piece of Native jewelry, but it left us in the ‘80s. And that ushered in an era where more modernist jewelry took precedence. It was in part the price of silver going up, but it was also due to the demand for modernist jewelry with the revival of ‘50s modernism in clothing styles.

The good news is that this ‘80s revival of modernist clothing and jewelry never really left us. You can find the style in clothing by JCrew, Anthropologie, Ralph Lauren’s labels, The Gap, Levi’s, Gucci, Fendi, Prada, and almost every other fashion house or label. So if you own any of it, you’re never out of step with the trends because like denim pants or sneakers, it’s now a permanent part of our culture. Which makes Wilbur Tracy pieces like these, at once a piece of art history but also something that’ll most likely go with at least 1/3rd of your wardrobe.

There are many good resources on this time and its history.
The Story of Silver: How the White Metal Shaped America and the Modern World by William L. Silber.
Surviving Desires: Making and Selling Native Jewellery in the American Southwest by Dr. Henrietta Lidchi Ph.D.

Southwest Silver Jewelry: The First Century by Paula A. Baxter.

There are others, but those three should keep you on the edge of your seat for some time. Anyway, That’s a Wilbur Tracy piece and it’s gorgeous.