Chimney Butte Sandcast Onyx Cuff, Black Onyx, Navajo Sterling Openwork, 102g
A sandcast Navajo cuff by Chimney Butte, an open petal frame in heavy silver around a rectangular black onyx cabochon.
Specifications
- Metal: Sterling silver
- Artist: Chimney Butte, Navajo (Dine)
- Stone: Onyx, cabochon, 36 by 20 mm
- Inner circumference: 5.5 inches (14.0 cm)
- Opening gap: 1 inch (2.5 cm)
- Total wrist fit: 6.5 inches (16.5 cm)
- Band width: 66 mm (2.6 inches)
- Weight: 102 grams
- Frame: 66 mm across, sandcast openwork
Hallmarks
- Chimney Butte, script maker's stamp
- Sterling
Both marks are struck on the back. Chimney Butte is the maker's mark; Sterling is the silver standard.
About the Piece
This one is cast, not stamped, which makes it the odd piece of the four and the more unusual object. Molten silver is poured into a carved sand mould, so the surface comes out with a slightly grainy, softened texture no machine reproduces, and the openwork petals are formed rather than cut.
Eight petals radiate around the centre, each one a closed loop of silver with the light coming through it. A cushion cut black onyx sits across the middle in a plain bezel, and a small domed button struck with a star sits above and below it.
The head measures 66 mm across, so it covers most of the width of a wrist while weighing only 102 grams. Open casting is what buys you that: presence without dead weight.
Black onyx is chalcedony, and virtually all black onyx on the market, including this piece, is colour treated. That is the industry norm and it is stable and permanent, but it should be stated rather than assumed.
Chimney Butte is a Navajo (Dine) silversmith working out of New Mexico in a deliberately old style idiom: heavy gauge sterling, deep hand stamping, repousse, sandcast work, and good named mine turquoise. The mark is one of the most recognisable in contemporary Southwestern silver, which is part of why the work holds its value. This piece is stamped Chimney Butte and Sterling on the back.
Styling
A wide cuff carries a wrist on its own, so wear it with the arm otherwise bare or with one plain bangle for company. There is flex in the band: it can be opened or closed a little to fit. Do that once, gently, with both hands on the terminals, then leave it. Sterling work-hardens each time it is bent, and it is repeated adjustment that cracks a cuff.
Condition
Excellent. Newly made and unworn, with the deep oxidised finish the maker applies to the stamped recesses.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.
This listing is for one cuff only.
If you like what you see, please follow along at @sterlingstyleshop on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sterlingstyleshop/
As always, if you have any questions or would like additional photos or video, please message me.