Ketoh c. 1920

This pair of Ketohs were made by a Navajo or Diné artist, and there's something so amazing in seeing how they've taken these simple materials and transformed them. I love the way the silverwork almost seems to float above the leather base, like the idea of a bracelet. And the stones, these little pops of turquoise and green, are not just decoration, they are totally embedded into the piece. Each stone with its own unique shape and character, like each brushstroke has its own life. The way that the shapes play off each other, the sharp edges of the silver against the smooth, polished stones, creates this dialogue, a visual conversation between the materials. You get the sense that the making of it was as important as the final product. I see a kind of kinship with the work of Art Smith, another jeweller interested in abstract form. Isn't it funny how artists, across time and place, can be in conversation with each other, without even knowing it?