Navajo Silver Bangle, United States

Hundreds of fine vertical lines make this cuff look like a tiny barcode.

This sterling silver bangle is Navajo, from the United States, and is contemporary. The Navajo, or Diné, learned silversmithing in the nineteenth century, and silver jewelry later became an important part of their art and economy. A wide, polished cuff with an open gap and a dark recessed band around the front. Narrow vertical lines are cut closely side by side through the band, giving a crisp striped texture. The rims are smooth and bright. It is 2.75 inches long, 0.75 deep and 1.75 high.

Precise to the point of being faintly intimidating.