This striking vintage Navajo lapel pin (or brooch) with a dynamic, modernist design features a bundle of radiating sterling silver bars that fan outward from a central band, creating the look of a stylized bow, sheaf of arrows, or sunburst. Small rectangular pieces of bright turquoise are set directly into the silver via channel  inlay work. Pieces of stone are precisely cut and fitted snugly into these channels and set flush with the surface of the silver. This technique became especially popular in Navajo and Pueblo jewelry during the mid-20th century. This pin shows excellent craftsmanship in the channel inlay. The silver has a nice hand-hammered texture and a soft patina. The overall design is bold yet wearable, a classic example of mid-century Navajo modernist jewelry that blends traditional materials with a more contemporary, geometric aesthetic. Pieces like this are often attributed to artists working in the 1950s–1970s era when this style was at its peak.

Sterling Silver, Turquoise

3″ x 1″