Silver and Turquoise Bolo Tie with Carved Indian Chief Slide. Carved chief's head is framed by a hand etched sterling frame and slide.  Pendant measures approx 3.5" long x 3" wide x 44" long.  Bolo tie is made of woven black leather and has silver conical tips.  Still has a tag from a pawn shop from 1963.

In the US, bolo ties are widely associated with wester wear, and are generally most common in the western areas of the country. Bolo tie slides and tips in silver have been part of Hopi, Navajo, Zuni and Puebloan jewelry making traditions since the mid-20th century. 

Dentist and metallurgist, Dr. William E. Mangelsdorf, of Kingman, Arizona, claims to have invented the bolo tie in the late 1940s, and later patented his slide design.

According to an article in Sunset:

Victor Cedarstaff was riding his horse one day when his hat blew off. Wary of losing the silver-trimmed hatband, he slipped it around his neck. His companion joked, "That's a nice-looking tie you're wearing, Vic." An idea incubated, and Cedarstaff soon fashioned the first bola tie (the name is derived from boleadora, an Argentine lariat

The bolo tie was made the official neckwear of Arizona in 1971. New Mexico passed a non-binding measure to designate the bolo as the state's official neckwear in 1987. On March 13, 2007, New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson, signed into law that the bolo tie is now the state's official tie. Also in 2007, the bolo tie was named the official tie of Texas.  Women can wear them as well, and do.