The bolo tie (6 of 6)

Posted on January 13, 2011 by admin

Today, bolo ties can be found in every style imaginable. As with all types of turquoise jewelry, bolo ties incorporate different types of stones and metal work. The tips can be as simple or as complicated as the artist has talent and imagination.

The bolo tie tips pictured to the right were crafted by artist Dale Edaakie, one of my favorite bolo artists.  The tips shown are crafted to be as unique as the central bolo work.  This is a great example of the great variation you can see in bolo ties.

Thank you for joining me on my bolo tie journey.  As always your comments are great appreciated, and your suggestion on future turquoise jewelry topics are welcomed!

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The bolo tie (5 of 6)

Posted on January 12, 2011 by admin

The bolo tie was made the official neckwear of Arizona in 1971, and continues to be associated with the American southwest more than any other area of the world. However, the popularity of bolo ties has also crossed the Atlantic Ocean to Europe. Like other types of turquoise jewelry, the bolo tie has found a popular following in The United Kingdom as well!! In the U.K. they are called bootlace ties, obviously a reference to the leather cord looking like the laces of a pair of boots. This must be similar to the folks from the U.K. calling cookies “biscuits.” It’s funny how the same language can be so different; but that’s a topic for another blog.

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The bolo tie (4 of 6)

Posted on January 11, 2011 by admin

The word bolo tie is assumed to have come from the word boleadoras or bolas. Bolas are the hunting weapons crafted by Southern Americans that use are constructed of rope or cord with a ball attached to each end. When you look at bolo ties, you can see where the silver tips could have drawn a comparison to bolas, and could have been called a bola tie instead of a neck tie. Over time, it was probably transformed into bolo tie.

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The bolo tie (3 of 6)

Posted on January 10, 2011 by admin

Although Victor Cederstaff did indeed craft and sell bolo ties in the mid 1900s, the story of Victor creating the bolo tie is certainly not historical fact, although it is certainly fun.

One contrary bit of information can be found at the Zuni Trading Post, on the Zuni Pueblo in New Mexico. They have a bolo tie which is described to have been crafted in the late 1800s, several decades before Victor was even born.

Whatever the case may be, the bolo tie has become part of our culture and has taken on all of the trends and styles of other types of turquoise jewelry; integrating fancy sterling silver and other types of metal work, as well as all kinds of stones imaginable.

The connection between bolo ties and turquoise jewelry is pretty easily drawn. Once the bolo tie became popular in the 1950’s and 1960’s, jewelry artists throughout the southwest began to craft bolo ties using the jewelry styles they were already accustomed to; squash clusters, Zuni sunfaces, and animals.

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The bolo tie (2 of 6)

Posted on January 7, 2011 by admin

Ever wonder how bolo ties came into being?  Well, like may origin stories, there’s more than one story that tells the tale.  However, the most commonly trusted origin story for the bolo tie takes us to Wickenburg, AZ.

Wickenburg is about a 1 hour drive northwest of Phoenix, AZ, and was home to Victor Cedarstaff.  Like many folks of his day, the 1940s, Victor would ride his horse for business and for fun.  So the story goes….One particular day Victor decided to wear one of his dressier hats, decked out with a particularly nice sterling silver hatband.

As Victor and his friend enjoyed a horse ride through the countryside of Arizona, the wind picked up and continued to blow Victor’s hat off of his head.  After one particular incident, where his hat almost made it to Utah on a very strong gust of wind, Victor decided it would be best to remove the silver hatband and put it around his neck for safe keeping; better to loose the hand than the hat AND hatband.  After suffering through a few jokes from his friend about his new choice of necktie, Victor decided he actually liked it.  Shortly thereafter Victor fashioned the very first bolo tie and the world of fashion, and turquoise jewelry became a better place.

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The bolo tie (1 of 6)

Posted on January 6, 2011 by admin

Welcome back from the Holidays!!! And Happy New Year! Though I’m a few days late, please accept my well wishes!

So, what’s first for the New Year? How about bolo ties! – Ever wonder how they came to be, or maybe just curious in general about these so called skinny ties or shoestring ties?

Well, you’re in luck! For the next several posts I’ll try and share some information on bolo ties, and explain their connection to turquoise jewelry.

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The Squash Blossom Necklace (7 of 7)

Posted on January 5, 2011 by admin

When purchasing a squash blossom necklaces, I always suggest to first find one that you like. This is the most important factor. More than any other factors, in my opinion, this is the one you should start with. Why purchase something if you’re not going to wear it or display it with pride?! After that, there is no magic to purchasing a squash blossom versus any other type of turquoise jewelry. Always buy directly from the artist or from reputable dealer.

The pricing of squash blossom necklaces is almost an art amongst itself. Some of the factors that are considered are the artist’s popularity, the materials used, whether any of the necklaces components were machine made (the silver spheres are sometimes machine crafted), and what type of designs are represented.

Thank you for joining me on this little journey. I love turquoise jewelry and love sharing my thoughts, facts, and sometimes guesses & opinions. Feel free to suggest any topic for future discussion. Your ideas and opinions are always welcome!

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The Squash Blossom Necklace (6 of 7)

Posted on January 4, 2011 by admin

The traditional squash blossom necklace design is easily recognizable, however, in today’s world the term squash blossom is applied to many styles of Native American necklaces. Today the term is applied to any long intricate necklace that includes hand crafted silver spheres, usually in rows of 2, set off by a center piece of intricate silver work called the Naja. The necklace will typically repeat the Naja’s design several times along the necklace in similar smaller versions.

It’s even possible to finder smaller versions of the squash blossom necklaces. And no reasons to stop there, much smaller versions are found in earrings, keychains, rings, and every sort of turquoise jewelry imaginable.

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The Squash Blossom Necklace (5 of 7)

Posted on January 3, 2011 by admin

Many admirers of turquoise jewelry point to the squash blossom as one of the finest designs available. Today I’ll continue my discussion of the squash blossom…

The principal part of the traditional squash blossom necklace is the naja. It is believed that the Native Americans first saw this ornamental design on the horse bridles of the Spanish Conquistadors in the late 1500s and early 1600s. Captured or traded, these ornaments soon graced the necks of the local Native Americans. Their acquisition was a matter of pride, and as the generations came and went, the najahe or naja became symbolic and was associated through ceremony with crop fertility. The Navajo word for the squash blossom bead is yo ne maze disya gi, which means simply -bead that spreads out-. The squash blossom necklace serves as a reminder of the close interaction between the Pueblo and Navajo Indians since the mid 1800s.

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The Squash Blossom Necklace (4 of 7)

Posted on December 24, 2010 by admin

Squash blossom necklaces were copied and modified by many different tribes and artists. The Zuni are credited with adding stones to the squash blossom. At first single stones were used to enhance the silver work of the necklace. However, it didn’t take long for the Zuni to add their amazing inlay work and even character designs to the squash blossom necklaces. The example pictured here features the Knifewing kachina, with arms stretched towards the sky. As you can see, each and every Knifewing on this necklace is an individual accomplishment in jewelry crafting. The necklace as a whole is an astonishing creation.

The Hopi tribe have also added their characteristic shadow box elements to these necklaces to give the pieces a Hopi signature look. I’ve even seen Winnie the Pooh as well as the entire Micky Mouse crew on modern squash blossom necklaces. Just like other types of turquoise jewelry, squash blossoms have grown to represent both the traditional and the modern styles of jewelry artistry.

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