KIRK SMITH Navajo S Silver ROYSTON Turquoise Bracelet Start Price USD 1,199.95 Current Price USD 1,199.95 Time Left - Bid Count 0 Buy It Now Price - Reserve Price - Start Time Tuesday, August 19, 2008 End Time Friday, August 29, 2008 Location Topeka, Kansas See more about 'KIRK SMITH Navajo S Silver ROYSTON Turquoise Bracelet' Description If the character of the turquoise is an important factor when yiou buy high end pieces, you'll love this brand new bracelet design by the legendary Navajo artist, Kirk Smith. Kirk received his training from the late master silversmith and former brother-in-law, H*a*r*r*y  M*o*r*g*a*n, and you'll find additional information about this amazing family in my other Kirk Smith listings. Kirk is arguably H*a*r*r*y most commercially successful and widely recognized protegé. If you'll bear with me, I hope you'll find the following true story helpful when making online buying decisions because I think this information is extremely important for you to consider Many sellers are in a race to the bottom to sell their items for less than their competitors. Completely understandable, of course, until you consider 1. some auction style listings with unbelievably low opening prices involve shill bidding schemes often in combination with second chance offers designed to relieve buyers of their money at a higher price than the item is worth 2. this venue is the world's largest venue for stolen merchandise which explains more than a few eye low starting prices and who wants a visit from the police? 3. some sellers declare bankruptcy, don't pay traders and artists, and quickly sell inventory so whatever they get is 100% profit 4. everytime a seller sells an item that wholesales that cost several hundred dollars for $50 or $75, that seller has just made a major contribution to the devaluation of that artist's work and to your investment. And it may take several years for the artist to recover if indeed he or she ever does. What you ask, does any of this have to do with Kirk Smith? Every one of the above factors except #1 played a role in Kirk's involuntary implosion that began at the end of 2005. No seller in their right mind is going to invest hundreds of dollars in an item for $75.00 return less ebay fees -- after all hand made Native American jewelry pieces aren't mass produced items where volume makes up for a small profit margin. So in the span of less than six months, the demand for Kirk's work dropped precipitously since a substantial percentage of his out was being sold on ebay. Wholesalers quickly became overstocked with Kirk's bracelets and wouldn't buy new ones from him. From being able to sell several dozen bracelets every month, suddenly he could scarcely sell any at all. First, Kirk's home phone was disconnected. Then -- related or unrelated - he and his wife Gloria were divorced although Gkoria continues to do some marketing for him. Next his tools disappeared either pawned or stolen. Kirk made nothing that anyone is aware of for more than a year. When he did return, it was with borrowed tools, and he would only make high end concho belts. Gross ebay underselling nearly permanently put this talented artist out of business, and selling for 98% less than a fair market value will put more of them out of business. Everyone loves a bargain, but prices that are too good to be true have consequences for those who have consciences and integrity and truly care about the future of Native American jewelry. Late last year after saturating the New Mexico and Arizona markets with concho belts, Kirk returned to making more than just a token number of bracelets, pendants, and earrings. He developed sevetral new styles, fine tuned some odler designs, and wisely left a few of classsic designs alone. His bracelets now wholesale for 250% more than they before his troubles began which far exceeds the increased costs of silver and turquoise. Kirk's style could be described as eclectic because it combines he combines the best of the genuine old pawn pieces -- the careful craftsmanship, traditional design, those old style solid stone settings, and the use of nothing but natural stones. His work goes up in price at least once or twice each year, and with the 30% price increase in both turquoise and 250% increase in the price of silver in the last eighteen months, his beautiful bracelets are not getting any cheaper.  This traditional three stone bracelet with an old pawn finish features three simply gorgeous blue and blue green classic Royston turquoise stones all with absolutely outstanding golden brown and tan matrix that give each stone superior character. The center tear drop shaped Royston stone measures 1¼" by 7/8ths," the two freeform side Royston stones measure 1 and 1/16th" by ¾" and 1 and 1/16th" by 13/16ths." Kirk created three elegants shadowbox bezel by surrounding each stone with a twisted rope overlay, individual and clustered graduated rain drop bead overlays, and miniature coiled un ray overlays. The three solid back bezels are mounted on a substantial (each wire is 1/8th" wide) five triangle wire open bracelet frame that rejoins just past mid shank. The bracelet is 1 and 11/16ths" wide in the center and gradually tapers to a width of 11/16ths" at the terminals. It has an interior measurement of 5 and 3/8ths" and an opening gap of 1." If your wrist is 6¼" to 6½" in circumference, this should fit with little or no very, very careful adjustment of the shanks and/or terminals. This turquoisemlikely came from the Royal Blue mine in the Royston district which has been closed for many years. Any Royston turquoise, however, is considered very collectible because of its scarcity. Kirk Smith's work is considered collector and investment quality. The above story is just something to chew on when you buy investment quality Native American jewelry. Kirk’s third generation script hallmark and sterling stamp are located on the center wire. Payment is expected no later than ten days after your purchase. Questions: Questions about this item only, please, from serious buyers only and NO questions that are answered in the product description. Most of the questions I receive have nothing to do with the item or are answered in the product description. I don't accept offers (see below), do free appraisals, free research, put members in touch with artists, sell wholesale, or take custom orders so please don't email me about these issues, out of idle curiosity, or questions not pertaining to the item. Pricing: Unlike many other ebay sellers, I don’t over inflate listing prices on the first one or two listings and then cut the price on subsequent listings to fool buyers into think they’re getting a hot deal or a “sale“ item. My prices are fair and firm, I don’t negotiate lower prices on or off ebay, and I don’t accept Best Offers which are seller killers. Please respect this. Anyone submitting an offer or asking for an additional discount may be blocked and reported to ebay. Extra Photos: Please remember that people buy millions of dollars’ worth of products each month in this country from catalogues where generally there’s only one photograph and about three short descriptive lines. Sorry, no additional photos are available for this item. CORRECT Email Address: Your ISP’s or your email’s spam filter can and sometimes does prevent delivery of many emails. If you don’t hear from me, this is probably why so please don‘t think you’re being ignored because every purchase and payment is acknowledged. If you don’t hear from me, please check your span/trash directory. Making Smart Buying Choices: Remember, choose wisely. Save for a while if necessary to buy the best pieces you can possibly afford. Don’t just spend money, invest it in good quality items that have possible future investment potential. It's against federal law to misrepresent foreign made jewelry as Native American. Protect this investment and assure the Native American authenticity of your purchases by requiring a Certificate of Authenticity. Be wary of items with many bids -- especially when the bidding exceeds $200.00, and ebay hides the bidders‘ identities. The truth is that there isn’t enough traffic anymore in the Native American jewelry category to generate lots of bids on most items, and sellers you wouldn‘t expect routinely engage in shill bidding practices. Be skeptical of sellers who say they’ve signed some vague paper with an anonymous third party to accurately represent their items. Ebay has no such requirement. With Fixed Price listings and No Second Chance Offers that are responsible for most fraud against buyers, shilling is impossible. You can have confidence the buyer is a legitimate buyer -- not me under a different ID and not any associates engaging in a fraudulent shill bidding scheme to drive prices up. Authenticity and Provenance: This is a new rather than a previously owned item, and a Certificate of Authenticity guaranteeing its Native American origin is included. The jewelry I sell isn’t stolen (ebay is a leading venue for stolen merchandise and, yes, some of what you see in the Native American jewelry category is stolen), and the artists and traders have been all paid so you needn’t worry about the police knocking on your door or any letters from attorneys. Everything but pawn sterling silver jewelry and stone necklaces are cleaned and polished with tarnish retardant polish before shipping so that it arrives looking sparkling clean and odor free. Buy Only Authentic Native American Jewelry: If you care whether the jewelry you buy is authentic Native American, please click on the View Seller's Other Items link in the box at the top of the page at right. A substantial percentage of the jewelry offered in the Native American category is actually made in China, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, the Middle East, Mexico, and elsewhere and then misrepresented as Navajo or Zuni. Two-thirds of all so-called Native American jewelry sold in this country is fake, and a lot of it is sold on ebay by sellers who should know better both in terms of the law, good ethics, and knowledge about the true origins of their products. Multiple Item Shipping: For your convenience and savings, multiple jewelry purchases purchased within a 10 day period can be shipped together Priority Mail -- just please let me know when you begin buying. Your new jewelry will be carefully packed by people who care whether your hand made jewelry art arrives in the same condition it was when shipped because it deserves to be properly protected. On international orders, some items can be combined for fixed rate shipping, and others can’t. Please email me if you a question about multiple item international shipping. U.S. Domestic Shipping and Insurance: Same day USPS Priority Mail shipping with 2-3 business day delivery and FREE delivery confirmation except weekends, holidays, unplanned events like doctors‘ appointments and illness, dangerous weather, and buying trips from a non-smoker on receipt of payment before 3 pm Central Time. I require Post Office internally trackable insurance on all shipments to protect you against Post Office loss or damage because delivery and signature confirmation are NOT true tracking in case something is lost. PayPal requires signature confirmation on all shipments of $250.00 or more which will be included when applicable at cost with the insurance. USPS Express Mail with overnight delivery to most but not all locations available -- cost varies by item shape, size, and weight of your purchase(s) -- please email for a quote. There will be a small handling charge on Express Mail items to cover packing materials and gas to the Post Office. Otherwise, I charge only ACTUAL COSTS for USPS shipping, insurance, and signature confirmation, FREE delivery confirmation, and NO handling charges. International Shipping and Insurance: PayPal REQUIRES online tracking for ALL international shipments. If you are a new customer OR if you’re purchasing more than US$100.00 of merchandise, the risk is too great to ship without tracking and your order will be shipped by the least expensive tracked mail, USPS International Express Mail. Express Mail has a flat rate packet for smaller items OR the cost varies by weight and your location if the item is too large for the flat rate packet. If you are an established customer OR your item is less than US$100.00, your order will be shipped insured International 1st Class Mail. Recorded Delivery may be required on these orders. Most orders will arrive within 1-2 weeks, but exact delivery time depends on how fast your country’s customs clears the parcel. Exact shipping charges will vary by parcel weight, destination, and insurance depending on the size and weight of an item you purchase. Buyers are responsible for paying your country's duties and taxes if any. The U.S. Postal Service no longer furnishes free shipping supplies for international 1st class mail shipments so there will be a $1.00 charge for shipping materials. The Postal Service won’t insure silver, gold, or platinum jewelry so I use a private insurance carrier for international shipments. Shipping rates are best estimates -- if less YOU WILL RECEIVE A PAYPAL REFUND. Please don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about international shipments or costs. I ship at cost for Express Mail; at cost + $1.00 for 1st class. EXCLUDED COUNTRIES: Sorry, I can NOT ship to the following countries because insurance is impossible to obtain except to US military or diplomatic corps with APO/FPO addresses: Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola & Cabinda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Cuba, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Kenya, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Papua/New Guinea, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, and Yemen. Payment Options: On domestic orders, I accept credit cards through PayPal (Visa, Mastercard, Discovercard, American Express) and also gratefully accept PayPal e-checks, money orders, and bank or cashiers' checks. International customers are asked to remit payment through PayPal, and Canadian customers may remit through an international money order designated in U.S. dollars. Sales tax: Only Kansas residents must pay Kansas sales tax. Feedback Policy: A transaction is considered complete when you receive your items and post feedback. I will then post feedback within a few days. Please be patient as I have many, many feedbacks to do and don’t use those impersonal automated feedback systems. Returns: Sales are not made on an approval basis and you are expected to keep you what you’ve agreed to buy except for major misrepresentation or major defect. Ebay no longer refunds sellers final value fees on returns if the buyer didn’t pay with PayPal so this policy varies with specific circumstances. Ebay never refunds listing fees. Returns must be approved in advance and then return shipped within 3 business days of receipt, and the item must be returned in its original condition or full credit may not be given. I issue merchandise credits less a restocking fee. A restocking fee is necessary to cover a part of the enormous amount of time and a high number of hidden expenses that returns create that buyers are unaware of. Buyers who chronically return items will be permanently blocked at the sole discretion of this seller. © Photos and product description: Ebay and non Ebay sellers: please take your own photos, do your own research, and write your own product descriptions. This is copyrighted material and finding my product descriptions and research on other seller‘s item pages and websites won‘t be tolerated. Please respect the plagiarism laws. Thank you. On Nov-09-07 at 03:19:26 PST, seller added the following information: On Aug-04-08 at 01:35:12 PDT, seller added the following information: Japanese Buyer Assistant   Place a Bid!