MEET THE ARTIST:
Ernest comes from the heart of the Navajo reservation on the Arizona side & happens to be the father in law to another wonderful artist "Readda Begay" & being that Readda is Leon,Terry, Rick, Calvin Matinez's sister, that makes all of them Ernest's family.

Ernest wasn't always a metal smith,but a coal miner,turned jeweler..After taking classes in jewelry making in high school,he ended up making jewelry but put it on the back burner,so he could work...One day he decided to make a few great pieces & entered them in the annual "Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonial" event which is a jury judged event & happened to end up winning "Best of Show", Best in Category,1st,2nd & a few 3rd. place awards. From then on,he then turned his attention to solely making jewelry,where he continues to create these award winning pieces that are "Pure Navajo" where you will never have to 2nd guess as to what tribe made the piece.
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THE CUFF:
Rather than depending on jewelry manufactures to make the time go faster,Ernest took the 'old School" route with this cuff, where he didn't depend on the supply houses to buy his sheet sterling to make the cuff,but instead took scrap sterling that he then melted down so he can then roll it to the thickness or thinness he wants the shank to be. In other words,by rolling the sterling,the artist has more control over what they want. The shank on this is 3.3 mm thick,which gives this cuff the incredible hefty weight it has! This is one thing online pictures just don't give you & that is the 'feel' as to how light or heavy a piece is.. This is EXTREMLEY durable & non-adjustable because of this.

Designed with rectangular & trapezoid cuts of turquoise,these were well picked & were the perfect choice for a 3 stone row cuff! They are beautifully displayed on a vintage revival finished sterling that has some of the deepest tooling on the sides & seem to have the look & shape of 'butterfly conchos" from a traditional Navajo concho belt. (See photo 3 & 8 ) This finishing helps to accentuate the stamp work.. I have to say, for Ernest to stamp into the metal this thick, with this kind of accuracy, is truly impressive, since this is something that takes skill & is not something that can be learned overnight. .It takes a good eye,a steady hand,since one little mistake could throw the whole design off.. The perimeter in this area follows the shape of the stamp work. If you zoom in on the last photos ,you'll see how the interior is stamped as well!!
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WRIST SIZE:
This is made for a medium to a larger sized wrist. This is NOT adjustable & being that cuffs fit different than any other type bracelet, it is important they fit right! Please know your wrist size before purchasing & if you need help,please don't hesitate to contact me!! How To Fit A Cuff