"KIRK SMITH"s jewelry is probably the most collected from any artist in passing.. His pieces have always had high recognition, but definitely more so, since his unfortunate passing in Sept. 2012 & like anybody that had a reputable name like Kirk, once their jewelry goes into collector's hands, they are gone..
His pieces have & will always have'Investment/Museum/Collector's Quality.. And this magnificent ring is a fine example of his earlier works!
He started in the 60's from working & learning silversmithing from his Grandfather & in'72 went out on his own after working for clothes & shoes, to helping his uncle do sand cast pieces. But it wasn't until he hooked up with brotherin law"Harry Morgan" in the 80's, that he really started paying attention to design & his career started taking off... Harry had a big name & Kirk said, "he wanted to be one of those people".. It was Harry however, who was the innovator of creating jewelry that had an'Old Pawn, Vintage Revival, Classic 1930's style that Kirk learned from & ended up surpassing him with the style that now, many of todays modern day Navajo silversmith's have jumped on the band wagon doing & repeated Kirk's style giving their jewelry a very old pawn look that's heavily oxidized as if the jewelry was at least 50100 years old. His Grandfather once told him"When you leave something here, your name will always be here" & that he did.
His work will always be remembered & cherished. Having a masculine aesthetic, this ring is designed for the "manly-man"..Being a man himself, Kirk instinctively knew the type of jewelry men loved to wear & this ring is a great example. Precisely made with a fine cut of natural Pilot Mountain turquoise, this ring screams "Navajo" in design.. Usually the teeth aren't as fine as what's in this.. Little beads of stering sit at the north & south end of the ring.. The face sits on a tri-split shank & the shanks separation on the sides is covered by wide fan shields.
This ring was made sometime in the 80's back in Kirks earlier days when he used his "KS" hallmark. He changed his hallmark as time went on & up to the time of his death he used "Kirk Smith" in script for his hallmark.This is a collectors piece that's a real keeper & can't help but look attractive on any man's hand that wears it! Especially as fine as this is! FINISH: Natural patina from age.
STONE: Natural Pilot Mountain turquoise. STONE SIZE: 33 mm X 24.3 mm Range (About 1-3/8" x 1").FACE MEASUREMENT: About 1-5/8" x 1-1/4". WEIGHT: 29.7 Grams (1 Ounce). CONDITION: Used-No cracks in the stone-stone sits secure in bezel-Shank is nicely rounded & is in the same condition as when it was new-The sterling has darkened with natural patina.
I do not believe in polishing vintage since it depletes it's value. ALL MAJOR CARDS GLADLY ACCEPTED.Because of the price, this will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement. Unless the ring has flaws that I failed to mention in the "condition" area above.
There is now a 3% charge that will be taken out from the total price you paid, if there is return. This is one good reason why you should go over measurements before purchasing & read all the detail I provided you with & ask any questions/concerns you may have beforehand. I photgraphed this in front of 3 different backdrops, so please go through photos to see any variation.
To give you close ups, pictures tend to look much more larger & much more more magnified than in actuality. KIRK SMITH-Masculine Pilot Mountain Turquoise-925 Ring-SZ.11-3/4" is in sale since Wednesday, August 18, 2021. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Rings". The seller is "platadesantafejewelry" and is located in Santa Fe, New Mexico. This item can be shipped to United States.