Native American Sterling Silver Ring Marked "JB"

This beautiful Native American ring is marked "JB" which I believe is a design by silversmith Julius Burbank.  It features a dark green stone which appears to be genuine turquoise.  Most Native American jewelry in the Southwest is made by the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, and Santo Domingo tribes.  This ring is made in the Navajo style.

Most Native American jewelry artisans create designs associated with their particular tribe, and there are major differences between those styles.  Navajo silversmiths are experts at fitting Sterling silver around particular stones such as turquoise, onyx, malachite, and blue azurite.  Conversely, Zuni craftsmen are known for cutting stones into intricate patterns to fit together into Sterling silver.  Hopi jewelry features designs in Sterling silver alone, without the use of stones.  Finally, the Santo Domingo artists use drilled stones, shells, and Sterling beads (but they are otherwise not known for their silversmithing). 

Feel free to contact me if you are interested in purchasing this piece.  Questions, comments, and additional information are always appreciated.  My online shop on http://www.rubylane.com/ is coming soon.

Thank you to the following website(s) for the historical content of this blog post:

AAA Native Arts. Retrieved 6/28/2011 from http://www.aaanativearts.com/article1446.html

Durango Silver. Retrieved 6/28/2011 from http://www.durangosilver.com/native-american-artists.html