Sterling silver cuff by master Apache silversmith Al Somers. The 1 1/2” cuff with silver overlay and hand stamping has a 3/4” x 1” Royston cabochon. The inside measurement is 5 1/4” with a 1 1/4” gap.
Native Arizonian silversmith Al Somers has an Apache, Blackfoot French and Scottish heritage. He learned the art of making jewelry from the old Navajo masters. He makes his own tools and stamps and is known for his traditional patterns and deep stamp work. He uses only the finest and highest quality of turquoise. His museum quality silver can be found in fine galleries throughout the United States and in collections worldwide.
Royston is known for its beautiful colors ranging from deep green to rich, light blues with a brown matrix. While Royston is considered an active mine, it is a very small operation. The Royston mine in Nevada is still producing high quality turquoise but in limited amounts.
About the artist
Al Somers
(1942 - August 2016)
Apache descendant and Arizona silversmith Al Somers was renowned for his interpretations of classic Navajo designs, stamping patterns and techniques, and his use of beautiful natural American turquoises, giving his work very distinctive and unique character.
Silversmith and artist, Al Somers, was a native of Arizona. Having Apache, Blackfoot, French, and Scottish heritage, he had a multicultural appreciation for the Southwest and the diversified area. Somers learned the art of silver-smithing from old Navajo masters. He subsequently crafted his own tools and stamps patterned much after the early classic Navajo period.
Somers was renowned for his impeccable attention to detail and his use of beautiful and rare stones. He collected quantities of valuable stones over the years to utilize the older stones in the pieces he fashioned giving his work a very distinctive character. Somers hand pounded his own silver and set very unique and rare stones in his work.
