Monday, February 18, 2019

Bolo Tie on the Fly


Every so often, when Laurie is away supporting Grandma Washburn or visiting family overnight, I leave for Bluff before dawn. I enjoy the early morning drive down the hill from Blanding and can get some research or writing done before the cafe and trading post open for the day. On a recent morning, I decided to look in on websites similar to our own and compare notes. I also enjoy checking auction sites to see if anything unusual pops up. So it was that I found myself viewing historical Navajo jewelry hammered out of old Spanish and American coins. There were several great design ideas from the 1920s, 30s, and 40s, lots of Fred Harvey jewelry, and some fabulous creations from contemporary jewelers. Before long I wandered into a section focusing on medals and medallions and stumbled upon a reference to a 1972 Franklin Mint book and coin set featuring Navajo people. Beginning a search, I soon found the set on one of the auction sites. I had an idea brewing, so I placed a bid. 

Our parents, aka Papa Duke and Momma Rosa, brought us up in the small town of Bluff. As I have often proclaimed, my brothers, sisters, and I were raised among the Mormons, Indians, and Outlaws of southern San Juan County. Most often we were identified with the latter group, and rightfully so. As we ran barefoot through the graveled streets and Goathead stickers, we frequently came into contact with Native people dressed in satin and velveteen. The jewelry they adorned themselves with consisted of sky stone, silver and coin buttons. Silver dollars could often be seen set in massive bracelets, broaches, and necklaces, with the coins surrounded by turquoise in numerous shades of blue and green. Silver dimes adorned collar tips, ran down the fronts of brightly colored blouses, and encircled big, black, high-domed felt hats.

Dad ran a small gas station at the mouth of Cow Canyon, at what is now the intersection of highways 191 and 162. Duke would trade gas and oil for rugs, baskets, and jewelry that the local Navajo and Ute people created. The idea was to sell or make a trade with the meager flow of tourists who stopped in. From Bluff we moved to Livermore, California, for a couple years, then back to Blanding. With the help of a small inheritance Rose received from her parents, our folks leased the Plateau gas station and put in a second-hand store next door. From there we built the Blue Mountain Trading Post south of Blanding, then the Bluff City Trading Post in Bluff, which many years later morphed into Twin Rocks Trading Post and Cafe. All the while, Native American arts and crafts were a common denominator in our lives and businesses. Our family became quite familiar with hand-spun rugs enhanced by a rich earthy, campfire aroma; the woven texture and unique designs of baskets; and the soft, warm glow of sterling silver resplendently set with bright spots of turquoise and coral.

I ordered the Franklin Mint medallion and within the week I had it in my grasp and it was a beauty. It depicted a traditionally dressed Navajo rug weaver sitting at her loom. At her hip are tools of the trade: carding combs, balls of wool yarn, and a cluster of stiff grass stalks used as a hair brush. The weaver is belted by silver conchos and appears to be perched on a sheep skin. Beside her, sitting on his haunches and drinking coffee from a porcelain mug, is a Navajo man wearing a concho belt of his own, moccasins and a bandana headband. The couple both wear their hair tied up in a traditional bun. Yucca and sage are dispersed about the pair, and over their shoulders the Totem Pole rock of Monument Valley can be seen in the distance. Around the border of the coin are letters that spell out "Sovereign Nation of the Navajo Tribe." On the reverse side of the medallion is the Great Seal of the Navajo Nation which consists of a circle of fifty arrowheads and a guardian rainbow. The sun shines down upon the Four Sacred Mountains, a horse, a cow, and a sheep. Two corn stalks underscore the livestock. 

With the threads of my prepossessing past in mind and the medallion in my hand, I worked on developing a bolo tie design. I sorted through our box of turquoise cabochons and rediscovered numerous small dots and tear drops of Kingman turquoise. I recalled a design Leo Harvey of Lucachuki, Arizona, once produced with inlays of turquoise and coral depicting a Blue Jay on one side of white shell and on the other a Cardinal. Leo would create the delicate inset cameo, then wrap it in silver and place it on a spinner within a cluster-style bracelet or necklace. The effect was stunning, effectively allowing the impression of two pieces of jewelry in one. I spoke with Steve and Rick about the idea and we agreed to have Ben Yazzie, Jr., and his wife Katie do the job. Because Ben is such a creative and talented silversmith and Katie does the fine-finish detail, we left the technicalities to them. Steve and I learned long ago that it is best not to dictate specifics to artists; they are much more familiar with their strengths and can better affect a quality outcome. This approach seldom goes wrong. 


Two weeks later Ben and Katie proudly strode into Twin Rocks with the bolo tie. It was better than I imagined! Ben had come up with an open scalloped pattern around the turquoise, added silver bolsters halfway down the leather cord and hand-fashioned, stamped, and carved end caps. Steve and I thanked the couple profusely and gladly paid them for their efforts. For posterity, Rick photographed Ben with the bolo. Because we were so pleased with the outcome of the neckpiece, we sent the couple home with more turquoise and a few ideas for future projects. Rick suggested we send images of the piece to a friend/collector of unique bolo ties. I wanted to hold onto it for a while, if only to admire the beauty of the finished product. Steve and Rick were, however, worried I might decide to keep the bolo for myself, so they talked me into sending off images to the client to tempt his passion. Wouldn’t you know it; within ten minutes Keith called back and said he definitely wanted the piece. Dang it! Oh well, I guess that’s why we’re in business. The bolo is in a good place with many other exceptional works of art. In the future, I will exclude Steve and Rick from the process, so I have a little more time to appreciate whatever comes next.

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