ANTIQUE NAVAJO KETOH BOW GUARD. Sterling; 3 CHRYSOCOLLA Stones
Item History & Price
In the early days of Navajo silversmithing, the smith had to make his own tools or adapt them. A smith had to use a chisel or a nail or to make his own stamps with a file or another tool. When somebody learned to set turquoise, turquoise was hard to come by.
This smith had few tools. I see only one stamp and a lot of chisel work. But the design is wonderful.
A ketoh was a bow guard. As any archer knows, the bowstring is very likely ...to hit the inside of the forearm, and will cause a painful bruise. A bowguard is important. As the bow and arrow became less prevalent, the bowguard, which looks cool, became fancier, and now the ketoh is an important piece of jewelry. It would not make a very good arm protector in its present state because the laces are on the inside and will throw one's aim off. But it still looks about as cool as can be. This one is a favorite. The center plate is 4.5" x 3.25". 180 grams.
This smith had few tools. I see only one stamp and a lot of chisel work. But the design is wonderful.
A ketoh was a bow guard. As any archer knows, the bowstring is very likely ...to hit the inside of the forearm, and will cause a painful bruise. A bowguard is important. As the bow and arrow became less prevalent, the bowguard, which looks cool, became fancier, and now the ketoh is an important piece of jewelry. It would not make a very good arm protector in its present state because the laces are on the inside and will throw one's aim off. But it still looks about as cool as can be. This one is a favorite. The center plate is 4.5" x 3.25". 180 grams.
