CARL BEGAY NAVAJO 1960'S TURQUOISE CHANNEL INLAY SILVER LADIES WATCH BRACELET

From a Catalina Foothills estate in Tucson is this desirable I believe 1960's or so Carl Begay Navajo ingot silver watch bracelet for a lady - currently mounting the previous owner's vintage stainless steel Casio analog quartz watch head. Carl Allen Begay (1912-1972 ) was a highly respected traditional silversmith who worked at Carl W. Luthey's famed The Navajo Hogan for a number of years. This was an important workshop operating from 1956 into the early 1970's. What makes this meaningful, is tha Luthey only employed top tier highly skilled tribal artisans - well, Les Baker apparently did some work there too. The substantially crafted cuff features channel inlays of local lapidary turquoise and graduated drop embellishments on a thick silver band, within solid file decorated raised borders. The look is wholly in keeping with a refined almost modernist Navajo Guild era aesthetic that characterized Begay's early efforts, and aptly demonstrates the quality of his work. There is a highly distinctive "C" and rainbow arc struck to the back, a marking used only by Begay. Be assured this would have been treasured daily wear for a Tucson fashion maven of those times, as it will be for you today. Weight is very good for the form at about 56.2 total grams on my portable digital scale - that's with the Casio head. Condition of the cuff is quite fine with a genuine aura of time to the silver surfaces. Be aware I have avoided any urge to refresh or "improve" upon any natural toning - you want that done you do it. The patinated turquoise shows some usual and and expected small areas of worn over loss. That said, all such normal evidence of previous service and then sitting in a drawer for a long time simply validates the history. The 24mm Casio timepiece is also in fine cosmetic shape and has a clean crystal. I have never opened the silver tabs that hold the strap spring rods to insert a new battery, so can't vouch for function - that said, it comes along as a gift. A look at…