DDB Hefty INGOT

LESS IS MORE;  In an Indian jewelry world where massive stones and complex workmanship rule, it is a breath of fresh air to work with DDB, Darryl Dean Begay. This bracelet shows why.

There are few contemporary Native American jewelers who have risen so high, so fast, and so far as DDB. All the good stones seem to drift his way, and he seldom lets one pass. His stone qualities are the highest. And he treats them with the reverence they deserve.

Here, he has fashioned a MASTERFUL Sterling Silver bracelet of significant size, six inches in fact, and over an inch in width. Amazingly, this bracelet weighs in a STOUT four ounces! For those who don’t know, that is enough solid silver to make at least two, maybe three similar bracelets.

But Darryl is no ordinary jeweler. He has been experimenting with old coin silver, pounding it into shape. Here, he has moved back into STERLING, likely using silver beads, melted and pounded into shape. And thick. Visibly thick. Measuring ten gauge of “stout.” That’s twice as thick as normal, approaching three.

His experiences pounding on COIN jewelry are magnified in Sterling, a much more forgiving NOBLE metal (one of five, worldwide). This little difference allows DDB to pound his dies deeper, and with more precision than coin. You can see from the photos how he has forged two rows of square islands in a sea of darkness. Then, he accentuates it with a soft, satin finish of his own making. A glow seldom found elsewhere, this one from DDB

Inside, he has retained the signature of the anvil on which the shank was born. And, if you’ve been following, he has added his NEW hallmark. This bracelet is one of the first bearing the new Arrowhead hallmark which carries his initials, and you need a magnifier to spot that. This is because DDB has been victimized by jewelry replicators the world over. It’s exasperating, but Darryl keeps ahead of the fakers by occasionally adding difficulties in his production. And now in his hallmark. None, I dare say, could duplicate this bracelet master work.

Brand spanking new. Darryl’s latest innovation, where LESS IS MORE!