Presented in this lot is a Navajo Diné Eugene Belone Sterling Silver Dry Creek Turquoise Pendant. Necklace, signed. An accomplished Navajo jeweler and silversmith, Belone is from Gallup, New Mexico. Eugene has been making jewelry for over a decade. His wife, Elouise Kee, taught him the craft of jewelry and silversmithing. Eugene incorporates contemporary, detailed stamp work with traditional designs. All of his pieces are hand made and stamped. Navajo silversmiths are recognized for their artistic creations in a variety of forms using silver and turquoise. One of the first Native American Indian metal smiths was a Navajo known as Atsidi Sani who learned to form black metal from a Mexican blacksmith around 1865. Later, in the 1880s, J.L. Hubbell hired several Mexican Silversmiths to teach the craft to Navajos at his Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona. The Navajo Silversmiths learned to cast Silver in sandstone or tufa as well as produce hand-hammered work. The necklace features an intricate professional artisan construction with a large Dry Creek turquoise cabochon set in a bezel setting with inset silver braid and stamped edge on a flat omega sterling silver necklace chain with a lobster style clasp. The reverse is stamped,"EUGENE BELONE" and "STERLING", chain is stamped "925". Displays rich patina throughout. Pendant measures 2.25"L x 1.25"W, necklace is 10.5"L. Combined weight is 46gms.