CAPTIVATING VINTAGE Francis Begay Cerrillos Turquoise STERLING SILVER Brooch

Here we have an impressive vintage Navajo francis Begay silver pin featuring a exquisite Cerrillos turquoise with handcarved silver borders forming a beautiful butterfly design Absolutely Awesome! The pin measures around 1"? Cir Mid Century + Native American artisan Francis L. Begay is Diné of the Navajo Nation. He is a talented silversmith specializing in sterling silver Jewelry which is oftentimes hand cast. His hallmark signature is FL BEGAY The Begays began their career making sandcast jewelry, a traditional type of Navajo jewelry that requires the artist to make carvings in Tufa stone to make forms to shape molten silver. They first worked for Tobe Tupen, a well known trader in Gallup. The artist takes two pieces of pumice stone and grinds them together to create two flat surfaces.

Then the design is carved into one of the two pumice stones. An opening is carved from the design to the top and bottom of the stone. The two pieces of stone are then tied together so that the carved design is between the two flat areas.

Silver is then melted in a crucible, and when it reaches the proper molten form, it is poured into the opening on the top of the design. If it is the proper temperature, it flows through to the bottom where it cools and hardens, filling the design space. After cooling, the stones are separated, the casting removed and the protrusions on the top and bottom are cut off. The silver is then filed smooth and shaped. Today they are independent artists whose work is widely sought after and admired.

Wilson concentrates on the casting and building the foundations of the jewelry and Carol sets the stones and does the finishing work. They work together to design their jewelry.

Traditional sandcast silver jewelry is a unique Navajo art form. The process, although it sounds simple, requires careful discipline and years of practice to obtain quality results. If stones are to be set on the piece, the artist builds a silver bezel to hold the stone and then solders it to the piece of jewelry. Sawdust is put in the bottom of the bezel to cushion the stone and the bezel is tightened. The piece is then polished to the shine the artist likes.

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