Navajo AUSTIN (IKE) WILSON, Signed, CG Wallace Era, Hand Stamped Ring Sizeable 8

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Navajo AUSTIN (IKE) WILSON, Signed, CG Wallace Era, Hand Stamped Ring Sizeable 8:
$819.00

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I present for your consideration a rare hand made signed Austin Wilson ring, made of sterling silver, entirely hand stamped. Austin Wilson was represented in Adair and the CG Wallace catalog for Sotheby\'s sale and his work is very highly prized. He is most noted for work like that on this ring: hand stamping. This is a fine example and of great collectible value. Austin Wilson\'s work is quite rare outside the museums and best collections.

This wonderful ring is 3/4\" (1.90 cm) in diameter and more than 1/4\" (0.64 cm) tall, is size 8 but can be easily sized. It weighs 6 grams. It is signed with the established hallmark for Austin Wilson, the extended bow and arrow stamp. It is in wonderful, superb, vintage, wearable and collectible condition.

Austin Wilson became very famous, worked for CG Wallace, was represented in the Sotheby\'s sale catalog and was always renowned, prize winning, and his work very highly valued. He lived from 1901 to 1942 and began to win prizes in inter tribal Gallup by the 1930s. He was also featured as a very successful silversmith in Adair\'s book \"The Navajo and Pueblo Silvermiths.\" Often he was referred to as Ike Wilson and there was always a bit of confusion. The new book by the mother and daughter couple: Pat and Kim Messier \"Reassessing Hallmarks of Native Southwest Jewelry\" attempted to sort this out, with some success, too, but in some ways muddied the waters further. They made a case for Austin being Ike and the extended bow and arrow symbol being Ike\'s but they made no case for Austin using a tomahawk symbol and the particular tomahawk symbol they chose seems to be that of Little Joe Begay. (see Bille Hougart\'s excellent hallmark book \"Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks\"). Little Joe Begay\'s work was not said to be usually the same quality as that by the Wilsons, and it was his tomahawk the Messiers gave to Austin Wilson. Examples of his inlay are not usually of the caliber of the Wilson work. These authors provide no substantiation for their hypotheses about Austin, while they have some substantiation for their conclusions about Ike. There\'s evidence in Bille Hougart\'s excellent hallmark books that contradicts both the Messier\'s Austin Wilson and Ike Wilson conclusions, but this becomes now too complex an issue to unravel in an listing. I did however, want to explain something of why I might accept the first part of the Messier thesis and not the second. It seems to me that if you want to overturn long accepted understandings in the field, you should provide some source material, some evidence, not just make a pronouncement, and certainly so when there is substantial evidence out there that contradicts one\'s pronouncements. In the case of their claims about Austin Wilson they made pronouncements without any substantiation, and there\'s contradictory evidence out there. There\'s no evidence provided that the tomahawk hallmark they\'re giving to Austin Wilson was anyone\'s but Little Joe Begay\'s. What is so odd is that the Messiers posted in a public forum that they came up with the tomahawk being Austin\'s from a comment by Barton Wright, saying Austin early-on used a tomahawk hallmark, but Wright didn\'t document which tomahawk and there are many other tomahawk hallmarks. The Messier\'s arbitrarily chose Little Joe Begay\'s to be Austin Wilson\'s, creating yet another apparent misattribution in their own book which was intended to correct misattributions.

What this comes down to in regard to this beautiful ring is this: the artist who was known as Austin Wilson and used the extended bow and arrow hallmark, was a great artist and made and signed this ring. His actual name based on work in Pat and Kim Messier\'s book and also by work by Dr. Ernie Bulow, who conducted some interviews about this matter, probably was Ike, not Austin. If so, it does appear that all those Austin Wilson pieces out there were actually most likely to be Ike Wilson\'s work. This is a knotty problem to try to tackle in an listing, so let\'s get back to the piece being offered.

This ring has an elegant simplicity and uses superb stamps, all cleanly and deeply created with very fine lines. I\'ve had and sold in another signed piece of his, a gorgeous pin, this same stamp! I especially enjoy wearing silver rings with spectacular hand stamp work like this, and which aren\'t adorned with stones. These pieces go with absolutely everything and are always wonderful. One advantage of this ring not having turquoise is that it can be sized by any good jeweler if you wished to make it smaller or larger. I don\'t think this artist made a lot of rings. I\'ve only seen one other and it was not as gorgeous as this one. I believe this is museum quality and highly collectable. It\'s also absolutely correct in it\'s hallmarking. It\'s the so-called experts who are not correct about what his name really was. Thank you for looking at this fabulous ring.

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Returns will be accepted for 14 days after your receipt for any reason and without question. Please let me know if you would like to return something. Returns must be in the same condition they were shipped. If I make a significant mistake in a listing I\'ll always give you a full refund. The 15% restocking fee does not apply when the mistake is mine. I care that you\'re happy and about my accuracy, and will always stand behind my work.

Attributions on many of the old pieces of Native American jewelry are sometimes a moving target. All the books have errors, so in addition to counterchecking, I have developed some expertise over the years and I do care about getting it right, so as more information comes to light I update my listings and also get in touch with my previous buyers, to inform them of any changes in attributions. I am sincerely committed to ongoing accuracy.

I am sorry to say I can no longer recommend ATADA nor buying from their members with perhaps one exception, and retract my previous endorsement of the group.

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Everything I sell comes from my personal collection or is something that I would include in my personal collection. Most pieces are museum worthy and gallery suitable, sold to you at great pricing. I vet every item carefully for quality and condition, and offer you the best. I want you to be able to rely on me for top quality, superb items that are often unique and rare examples of old antique vintage southwest, indian, native american and fine gold and gemstones, whether you\'re starting a collection or adding to one, or want something great to wear or gift. My goal is that all my buyers are delighted, that my special pieces find the right homes.

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