I’ve been attending American Indian art auctions for 34 years, and I’ve looked at thousands of historic silver and turquoise bracelets, rings, and necklaces on the auction block. In all my time at Native American jewelry auctions, though, I’ve never seen anything to compare with the array of superb Native art pieces that were auctioned at Bonhams and Butterfields in San Francisco on June 1, 2009.

Many of these items came from the collection of Lynn D. Trusdell, an American Indian art dealer from famed Bucks County in Eastern Pennsylvania. Ms. Trusdell passed away last year after operating Crown and Eagle Antiques of New Hope, Pennsylvania. Over decades, she acquired a world-class collection of Southwestern Indian jewelry with emphasis on pieces made from the 1920’s through the 1940’s - the heyday of classic craftsmanship in silver and turquoise jewelry by artists from the Navajo, Zuni and Rio Grande Pueblo tribes. After Ms. Trusdell’s passing, her estate chose Bonhams and Butterfields to sell her collection. The auction house received more than 500 items of American Indian art owned by Ms. Trusdell.

American Indian art dealers from across the United States, Canada, and Australia flocked to the auction. It was like old home week for those of us who have been involved in the Indian art field for decades. The bidding was ferocious! No signs of recession here!

I’m proud to have acquired a wonderful selection of bracelets from the Lynn D. Trusdell collection. If you want to see how beautiful the very best in historic Indian jewelry can be, take a closer look at these American Indian bracelets that I’ve assembled from this sale.