Ocean design cuff (dolphins, whales and seahorse) bracelet in 18K, silver, diamonds, coral, turquoise, opal, lapis lazuli, sugilite and gaspeite by jesse Monongye (Navajo)

"When I first started making jewelry, I reached back to my grandmother's teachings about the prayers and the four sacred colorsàI would dream the colors, and I would wake up in the middle of the night and draw it out." Jesse Lee Monongye

Jesse Lee Monongye was born in 1952 in Phoenix, Arizona. His mother was Navajo and his father had been adopted into Hopi as a child. Jesse was raised from the age of 4 by his grandparents on the Navajo Reservation near Two Grey Hills. He did not know who his father was until he was an adult. He grew up learning traditional values and Navajo culture from his grandparents. After high school graduation, he fought in the Vietnam War and served in the Marines until 1975, after which he returned to the Navajo reservation. Upon his return, he went in search of his father, Preston Monongye, who had become a well-known jeweler and was living in the Phoenix area. They re-connected and Jesse moved in and apprenticed with him for 2 years before starting his own studio. He credits Charles Loloma, Lee Yazzie and Dennis and Nancy Edaakie for inspiring his art. He was an artist in residence at the Heard Museum in 1986 and among his many awards, he won Best of Show at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair and Market in 1998. He is a world-renowned jeweler who's intricate, imaginative and expertly crafted designs command the highest respect and admiration in the art world today.

This bracelet measures 3/4 inch wide by 2 3/4 inches long by 2 inches tall. The inside circumference measures just over 5 inches and the wrist opening measures 1 inch.