THE ARTIST:

Gallup-based Master Navajo artist Wilbert Manning doesn't just create jewelry; he creates "Fine" Navajo jewelry—and I mean that literally. Regarded as one of the few who have truly mastered the intricate techniques of mosaic inlay, cornrow, and or cobblestone inlay, Wilbert elevates these methods to a level that few others have achieved, producing jewelry that stands out for their precision, artistry, and timeless Southwestern character.

Working in both gold and sterling, he presents a rich blend of tribal motifs that he then weaves into his impeccably made jewelry, offering evocative Navajo and Zuni depictions that transport you straight to the reservation. Frequently you'll find finely rendered Navajo Yei figures alongside other Kachina representations, all beautifully mastered in his work; storyteller motifs brought to life in stone; and a broad, skillful use of Zuni elements such as sunfaces, rainbows, bears, eagles, and sweeping southwestern landscapes.

Wilbert is the teacher to many up-and-coming artists who rely on him for technical inspiration and steady guidance. One thing that can NEVER be said by those of us familiar with Wilbert’s work, is that he is just your “average”- "mediocre" artist. He is anything BUT that!

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THE RING:

This is a used, slightly vintage ring by Wilbert that is artistically created for the 'manly-man'! There are 2 dominate focal points that dominate this ring..1 is the Zuni Sunface & 2 is the precise lapidary work that is witnessed through out.

The focal point Sunface is done with a face of Onyx & eyes of turquoise & what looks to have a small cut of Wild horse turquoise. While shimmery yellow mother of pearl and black onyx inlaid into the shell, these sculpted feathers sit at the north end of the ring, the bottom south end has triangular accents colors of green Gaspeite and what looks to be a stark white Alabaster and Italian red coral.

If you wear the ring with the Sunface going down toward the hand, the right side of the ring has graduated cuts of Lapis that get smaller as they veer to the back & has a cut of pastel salmon colored “Angelskin” coral & turquoise in between the Lapis. (See photo 5) The left side is done the same way, but only on the left side, it has a cut of Opal (Looks to be Man made opal) and Angelskin coral. (See photo 6) These graduate in size and all lay on a diagonal. The cobblestone channel cuts of Lapis are beautifully beveled as they sit tightly packed together. The cuts are mosaic inlaid into the "reptilian" looking cast ring. The shank itself tapers down to a 1/8" width.

Wilbert is a true "Collector's" artist. His jewelry are unique works of art, that are all creatively made with time-consuming, meticulous techniques, and designed to be cherished as long-lasting keepsakes.

I want to mention that when I photographed this and I’m not sure if this was deliberate in the design or if there might be one of the smaller cuts of Lapis gone? But if you zoom in on photo 8, you’ll see what I’m talking about. It‍ definitely does not affect the ring from being unwearable & being it is one of the tiniest of the cuts of the ring, I personally did not see this until then. Remember, close up photos make everything look gigantic & are much more magnified ,until you get them in hand which then you find things aren’t as major as they looked. But regardless, because of this, I will be discounting a bit off the regular price.

SPECIFICS:

ARTIST: Wilbert Manning

TRIBE: Navajo

SIZE: 11-3/4

ADJUSTABLE: No

METAL: Sterling

WEIGHT: 27.6 Grams (0.96 Ounce)

FACE SIZE: 1.25" Tall x ¾ (Because of the design, this is 'approximate")

MATERIAL: Turquoise-Italian Red & Pink Angelskin Coral-Lapis-Man Made Opal-Gaspeite-Yellow Mother of Pearl-Stark White Alabaster-Onyx

INSCRIBED (ETCHED) HALLMARK: "WM"-925

CONDITION: Well kept used condition-No cracked, chipped or loose stones. PLEASE READ THE PARAGRAPH ABOVE “SPECIFICS”

Comes gift Boxed.

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SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:

Because of the price,this will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement. If you're not home in the day & need it shipped where it can be signed for,please change that in your "Ship To" section before I create the shipping label***I'm sorry if this may be an inconvenience, but I do not ship expensive pieces without one. This is for your safety & mine.

PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:

In order to give you close up photos so I can provide you with all the detail, can tend to make the item look GIGANTIC & everything is more magnified than in actuality.. So to get an accurate idea of how big this is, please view it on the finger or what you can do is pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements.

*****I do not consider myself a 'professional photographer" but I do try to give you photos that are 'realistic" in color, so please take this into consideration when viewing the photos.. Remember, every monitor is different since some can show something to be more vivid and other monitors can make it look duller.