Fine and Sterling Silver Forest Storyteller Bracelet

The center piece of this bracelet is 1/3 ounce or a 10 gram fine silver ingot.  I have been milling these with various leaves and decided I wanted to make a storyteller bracelet.  I drew out a design for a forest scene, transferred it to my sterling sheet and started sawing.  There were a lot of wispy pine tree tips and I did manage to get those soldered down.  I got the solder to flow all the way around and there are no gaps.  That's where you need just enough solder and I honestly, probably use too much.  I'll tell you, that top piece won't be lifting or coming off though!

There were many steps to finishing this piece.  I pierced and sawed out holes for the paracord bracelet, engraved and hammered designs on the scene, added patina, removed much of that to enhance the detail, shaped the bracelet just a bit and made the 550 double paracord bracelet.

I had a really nice cut out that would have only gone in with my scrap to refine, but I decided to saw out what looked like a mountain above it.  I sweat soldered it down to a piece of texturized copper and sure that will connect with still another piece of metal and be made into a bracelet.  This piece of silver is small and again lots of jagged edges.  I had it face down, got the solder on there and some did float around the back.  When I flipped it to solder it together, there was some solder on the top and I'll sand it off.  Again, I was happy to get all the small edges soldered down.  I had an instructor last year who was such a great help to me.  Thank you Lynette!!!

What is a story teller bracelet...?  In the 60's Navajo silversmiths started making bracelets with traditional scenes on them.  They would have a backing piece of silver and they would saw out very small images which usually consisted of the hogan which is still considered the most traditional Navajo housing, home life, art such as weaving blankets on large looms, wagons, chickens, sheep, cooking, campfire scenes.  Many times scenes of Monument Valley and clouds overhead will appear on the bracelets and rings as well.  The detail or top layer pieces would be sweat soldered to the backing piece and this created the dimensional images.  It's a wearable storybook of the various aspects of their daily life.   If you would like to read more about the Navajo, check out www.navajopeople.org.   

Many years ago, I was at the old swap meet in Phoenix and I met a Navajo family and they had some storyteller jewelry.  Many times you would see people reselling Native American art, but I was able to meet and buy the bracelet directly from the family..  I've had the bracelet so many years and it's a little treasure to me.

So, the story teller bracelet I made has oak leaves from the Tonto Rim in Arizona milled on the front and back and a forest scene on the front.  This represents places I've been, things I like and things I've seen.  It's a way to carry that with you all the time.  I think we all kind of dream about the fond places we've been and want to go back to again.  When you wear something like this, it can remind you of that place and keep it close even when it's miles away.