guest: my mom started me on this collectionprobably six or seven years ago. all i know is that they are native americanketoh bracelets. ketohs are bow guards. i think three of them came from the same family. this one, this one, and this one. appraiser: i see. guest: the rest of them i really don't know... appraiser: do you have a favorite? guest: i have, i do.
i wear this one a lot. i feel like this one's probably the oldest. it has a lot of color to it, so i don't wearit as much, but i do love it, cause that was my first one that my mom gave me. appraiser: this is the first one you got. guest: so it is. it started my collection. appraiser: well, your mom set you on a goodpath. guest: so she did.
she did. appraiser: these are from the southwest. guest: ok. appraiser: and they're either navajo or zuni. they date to the 20th century. i think the earliest maybe around 1910, 1920. and i think they go right up to about the1960s or ‘70s. appraiser: they are bow guards, and so youwould wear it on your left wrist if you were right handed.
when you pull back the bow string and letthe arrow fly, the string could really smack you on the inside of your wrist. and so this would protect the wrist. and navajo, zuni, native americans in generalwere hunters, and the bow was their principal weapon. so this is an ancient form. the materials: obviously silver, with turquoise. this one right here has jet and coral as wellas the turquoise. guest: right.
appraiser: in each of the backings, the straps,this is commercial leather. it's not native-tanned leather. so this could be leather that was salvagedfrom a saddle or from cowboy boots, that sort of thing. and repurposed, if you will. it's not typical to see stars or other carvingson the hide. this hide, however, is very… you see how it's curved over and sort of shinyat the sides? that's from rubbing against body oil.
you could compare it to some of the others,which have a much drier surface. they don't show the same amount of wear. the one that you think might be the oldestmight be the reverse. it may be the most recent. appraiser: and it's the most elaborate. the simplest one, i think, is the oldest. this one right here. and the one closest to you in the front. those are the two oldest.
guest: hm. appraiser: the stamps, if you look at themcarefully… guest: right… appraiser: are hand done, one little elementat a time.. appraiser: this one in the middle has stampsthat have individual designs, and that's a later indication. do you have any feeling for value? guest: this one here, i don't think i spent$300 on it. mom got ‘em for me.
she bought this one as well as these at aflea market from the same dealer. appraiser: ok. guest: so i really don't know. appraiser: i think the ones with most of theturquoise, this fancy one with the color, on a retail basis, i believe would sell inthe $350 to $550 range. the one closest to me i think is the oldest,it's your favorite. i would value that at about $1,500 to $2,500. that's my favorite by far. and then the one closer to you that's similar,also i think in the neighborhood of $1500
to $2000. so altogether, i think we're looking at about$6,500, $7,000 worth of ketohs. guest: wow. appraiser: it's a terrific collection. they're just great. guest: thank you. appraiser: yeah. thank you for bringing them.
No comments:
Post a Comment