Graceful with Masterful Silver Work. 3.6 X 3.0. Will accept a belt of up tp 1.45 wide.
91.9 grams = 2.96 Troy ounces. Floyd Becenti Navajo Sterling Silver "StoryTeller" Buckle. This wonderful Sterling Silver Buckle was made by Navajo smith Floyd Becenti.
Floyd was born in 1960 and lived near Gallup and became active making jewelry in the 1980's. He passed away in 2016. He is a contemporary and relative of lots of talented Native jewelers.
I he had Gary, David, Leroy, and Daniel "Sunshine" Reeves as relatives. The theme chosen is primarily agricultural and ceramonial and it appears that offerings and prayers are being offered in a field of corn with mountains in the background nd a bright sun overhead. It is in like-new Condition... See the "NOS" definition in the condition report. I have a number of the Becenti brother's Story Teller Buckles in my personal collection. I believe that each creation is unique and one-of-a-kind... Please, notice the Hallmark stamping. For years Floyd and his brother Lloyd shared a Hallmark stamp.After a dispute and the possible loss or the Hallmark itself, everything changed. There are no defects like cracks, scratches, etc. The Buckle is in Excellent condition.
If it is your size, I believe you will be pleased! Hopi Silver and "Overlay Technique". In the book HOPI SILVER...
Referenced below, Margaret Wright describes how Hopi silver is made and the post WWII history of its development in particular. She describes the 6 main steps in the creation of Hopi jewelry as we have come to know it. "A tracing design; b sawing design; c soldering design to backing; d texturing background; e filing to remove discoloration; f buffing". I like her simple description comparing "overlay" to making cookie dough and using a cookie cutter to cut out stars, and then placing one layer of the dough with the cutouts on top of another (without cutouts) and then baking them. This Buckle was made using the "Overlay" technique, where two sheets of Sterling Silver are fused together.
This enabled the artist to create the appearance that the surface had been carved out with the wonderful design that you see in the pictures. You may want to take a look at the textured "Matt" or background area.
For half a century or so, this has almost always been decorated in this subtle way by Hopi artists. Navajo artist do not typically do this. Recomended Reference Books - This artist is referenced if there is a page # shown below. "AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY I" - Gregory Schaaf - page 69."AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY IIl: A-L" - Gregory Schaaf. "HALLMARKS OF THE SOUTHWEST"- Barton Wright. "THE LITTLE BOOK OF SOUTHWESTERN SILVER" - Billie Hougart - Page 44-45.
"ZUNI JEWELRY" - Theda and Michael Bassman. The item "XL signed FLOYD BECENTI Navajo BELT BUCKLE Story Teller Sterling Silver NOS" is in sale since Wednesday, November 11, 2020.
This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Bracelets"." and is located in Tucson, Arizona.This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Uruguay, Costa rica.