Native American Bolo Ties For Sale

BOLO TIES

— Nothing says “Western” like an authentic hand-crafted BOLO TIE!! Turquoise jewelry and Native American Indian Bolo Ties are in style and in demand. Equally appropriate for men’s or women’s wear; dress, casual, or even formal wear; a beautifully hand-crafted sterling silver bolo tie or turquoise bolo tie can be a classy and eye-catching compliment to any attire. We carry a VERY nice selection of high-quality turquoise bolo ties, sterling silver bolo ties, and inlay bolo ties for sale; hand-made by exceptional and award-winning Native American Indian jewelry artists & silversmiths.

BOLO TIE HISTORY & ORIGIN:

Sliding bolos on ties and tips of silver have been part of Navajo, Hopi, Zuni, and Puebloan silversmithing and jewelry traditions since the mid-1900’s. The bolo tie, or bola tie, as it is sometimes interchangeably known, has several credible possible origins. Some sources credit Victor E. Cedarstaff, an Arizona silversmith, with inventing bolo ties in the 1940’s. As the story goes, Mr. Cedarstaff was riding his horse when his hat fell off. Afraid he would lose his nice silver-trimmed hatband, he decided to wear this hatband around his neck. After a friend joked about his ‘nice new tie’, an idea was born, and he soon created the first bolo tie. — Also, Dentist and metallurgist, Dr. William E. Mangelsdorf, of Kingman, Arizona, claimed to have been the inventor of bolo ties in the late 1940s, and even later patented his slide design. — Still others claim, and some old-timers reportedly recollect, that Native American Indian men wearing bandanas around their necks, with conchos as fasteners, was the beginning of bolo ties in the 1930’s. — Who knows?!? They are ALL interesting stories…
The bolo tie was made the ‘official neckwear’ of the State of Arizona in 1971. New Mexico passed a non-binding measure to designate the bolo tie as the state’s official neckwear in 1987. Then, in 2007, New Mexico’s Governor signed into law that the bolo tie IS the state’s official tie. Also in 2007, the bolo tie was named the official tie of Texas.