Turquoise Cuff Bracelet by Federico Jimenez | Sterling Silver | Vintage Style | Stacker Bracelets
A signed sterling silver cuff by Federico Jimenez, set with vivid sky blue turquoise running golden matrix, in a plain bezel with hand worked detail at the terminals.
SPECIFICATIONS
Metal: Solid sterling silver
Artist: Federico Jimenez, Oaxacan designer of Mixtec (Nuu Savi) heritage
Stone: Turquoise, bezel set. Royston, Kingman and Sleeping Beauty
Width: 8.75 mm
Weight: 33 to 37 grams
Sizes (total wrist fit, band plus gap):
XS: 5.5 inch band + 0.75 inch gap = 6.25 inches
S: 5.75 inch band + 0.75 inch gap = 6.5 inches
M: 6 inch band + 0.75 inch gap = 6.75 inches
L: 6.25 inch band + 0.75 inch gap = 7 inches
- Sterling
- Artist's Stamp, Federico Jimenez
Both marks are struck on the inside of the band. Sterling is the silver standard; the artist's stamp is the maker's mark.
HOW TO MEASURE
Wrap a tape measure around your wrist where you wear a bracelet and read the number. That figure is the size to order. The band plus the gap is the total wrist fit, so a 6.5 inch wrist takes the S.
ABOUT THE PIECE
The band is a single flat length of sterling at 8.75 mm, wide enough to read as a real cuff but narrow enough to stack. The turquoise is bezel set, not inlaid, so the stone sits proud of the silver in a collar of metal that holds it on all sides. That is the more durable of the two settings and it is why these wear well as everyday pieces.
The colour is the reason to buy it. Sky blue with golden brown matrix threading through, which is the look Royston and Kingman are both known for, and Sleeping Beauty brings the cleaner unmatrixed blue. The terminals are finished with hand worked detail rather than left plain, which is where most of the craftsmanship shows.
At 33 to 37 grams these have weight without being heavy on the arm. They are made to stack, and they sit well against both plain silver and other turquoise.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Federico Jimenez is an Oaxacan designer of Mixtec (Nuu Savi) heritage who moved to Los Angeles in 1967 and began designing jewelry in the 1970s. His work is bold and sculptural, drawing on pre-Columbian Mixtec goldwork, Mexican colonial silver and Southwestern design at once. He has curated for the UCLA Museum of Cultural History and the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, his work has been shown at Mexico's National Museum of Anthropology, and he and his wife founded a museum of Mexican popular art in Oaxaca in 2008. His memoir, Federico: One Man's Remarkable Journey from Tututepec to L.A., was published by the University of Arizona Press in 2021.
STYLING
Wears well alone and better stacked. The 8.75 mm width leaves room for two or three more bangles on the same wrist without crowding, and the silver is plain enough that it does not fight anything you put next to it.
STONE DISCLOSURE
Turquoise is commonly stabilized to harden it for setting. The treatment on these stones is not documented, so assume they are stabilized.
CONDITION
Excellent.
Please review all photographs carefully, as they form an important part of the description.
This listing is for one cuff. They are very similar but not identical, so the piece you receive will vary slightly from the photographs. If you would like more than one, message me and I will set up a listing for you.
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