Pure turquoise beads with a wonderful age variation in color and hand drilled (note the "v" shape). Coral beads at the clasp and white oyster shell beads.
The beads are irregular and they are push drilled -- the craftsman drills all the way through and then widens the hole on the opposite side, with enough room to get string through.
This necklace looks like it is cotton threaded or linen which is correct, the beads have aged in color naturally, and the "horns" (the things between the bead and the clasp) look home made as does the clasp from wire. The coral looks real and is traditional and the oyster shells in the middle are the correct color.
A friend who is familiar with this type of work told me: "So you could say the beads are PUEBLO made rather than Navajo as Navajo's traditionally do the set silver/turquoise work. But you never know as there is more intermarriage and inter-work...
2 North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment From Prehistory to Present. Lois Sherr Dubin, Harry N. Abrams, copyright 1999.
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3 North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment From Prehistory to Present. Lois Sherr Dubin, Harry N. Abrams, copyright 1999.
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4 North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment From Prehistory to Present. Lois Sherr Dubin, Harry N. Abrams, copyright 1999.
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5 North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment From Prehistory to Present. Lois Sherr Dubin, Harry N. Abrams, copyright 1999.
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6 North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment From Prehistory to Present. Lois Sherr Dubin, Harry N. Abrams, copyright 1999.
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7 North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment From Prehistory to Present. Lois Sherr Dubin, Harry N. Abrams, copyright 1999.
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8 Native American 900 coin silver cuff bracelet. Perhaps Fred Harvey style, perhaps earlier (as shown in plate 1000 from North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment From Prehistory to Present, page 486). Signed with an arrow head. Deeply punched and stamped with thunderbirds, arrows, faces.
9 Side view of bracelet.
10 Back view of the bracelet.
11 Native American sterling and turquoise bracelet. Fred Harvey style with handmade, applied flowers and lovely aged turquoise.
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13
14 Zuni 5 Row Turquoise Petit-Point Cuff
Front view. I think this is an older bracelet, based on its construction.
15 Zuni 5 Row Turquoise Petit-Point Cuff
Green turquoise
16 Side view
17 Inside view
18 Front view -- note the turquoise stones have changed color.
19 Zuni 5 Row Turquoise Petit-Point Cuff
Mixture of blue and green turquoise.
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22 Zuni 3 row petit point turquoise sterling bracelet
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26 Zuni cabochon turquoise cuff
This appears to be cast silver. The turquoise stones are much more green colored -- see the next picture.
27 Side view. This is the true color of the turquoise.
28 Inside view
Possible pawn shop marks etched on the center.
29 Fred Harvey style brooch with green turquoise.
30 Back of the brooch.
31 Fred Harvey style cuff bracelet with green turquoise stone
32 Side view
33 Inside view
34 Native American cuff bracelet with onyx face and Fred Harvey style stampings.
35 Side view
36 Inside view
37 Navajo heavy cuff with fabulous turquois.
This is pawn silver, marked inside.
38 Side view
39 Inside view. Pawn shop markings are scratched on the center part of the bracelet.
40 Navajo turquoise necklace Circa 1970s?
41 Back of necklace
42 Huge turquoise stone in this Navajo cuff bracelet -- more than 3 inches long. I assume it is more contemporary (maybe 1970s?).
43 Zuni petit-point cuff bracelet Contemporary?
44 Side view
45 Contemporary Inlaid Sugilite and Sterling Necklace and Cuff Navajo -- Toney Mitchell
Lovely sterling necklace and bracelet inlaid with two colors of sugilite.
In 1979, a new gem material with a striking purple color was found in the Wessels mine in the northern part of Cape Province, Republic of South Africa.
Examination of jewelry quality sugilite shows that it consists of manganese bearing sugilite in a poly-crystalline aggregate. The purple color is due to the presence of about 1-3 wt. % manganese oxide.
46 Another picture of the set. The colors are a deep purple and lavender.
47 Sterling and turquoise squash blossom necklace Navajo J.M. Begay
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49 Lander Blue Turquoise ring Alice Platero - Navajo Circa 1970s?
14K gold ring set with 10 ct Lander Blue turquoise stone. Made by Alice Platero, marked AP and 14K. Occlusion in the stone at approximately 10:00.
50 LANDER BLUE MINE
The Lander Blue turquoise mine in Lander County, Nevada is located between Battle Mountain and Tenabo. Found in 1973 it produced some of the most beautiful spider-webbed turquoise ever discovered. Today it is considered the most valuable turquoise known. Not surprisingly as early as 1975 it had been stated that Lander Blue “has become some of the most valued turquoise today.”
Like a number of the other high-grade strikes, Lander Blue was a very rich pocket discovery, and has been referred to as a “hat mine,” a term used to described small floats of turquoise because they could be “covered with a hat.” There were no extensive zones or long veins. These pockets are not uncommon in nature and once mined out they are gone forever.
Lander Blue is almost entirely spider-webbed turquoise with colors from medium to deep blue and a black contrasting matrix. Although some other grades were found only approximately 100 pounds of the beautiful spider-web turq...
51 LANDER BLUE MINE (con't.)
Like all classic turquoise this one comes with a classic story. RitaHapgood, a one time blackjack dealer in Battle Mountain, while walking with her two sisters found little nuggets on the ground along Indian Creek in the Crescent Valley area of Nevada. After discovering this deposit of high-grade turquoise she went on to claim the site as the Mary Louise Lode Mining Claim, the name Mary Louise belonging to her mother. The mine bordered the Lander Ranch. Later the claim was sold to Marvin Syme and Henry 'Hank' Dorian for the sum of $10,000.00. They brought in Bob Johnson, who provided equipment and began working the claim. The three then named the company the Lander Blue Turquoise Corporation.
Marvin Syme ended up owning a number of turquoise mines in Nevada and later retired to Idaho. Hank Dorian operated the Nevada Club in Battle Mountain for a number of years until his passing and Bob and Dixie Johnson continued to sell Lander...
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54 Native American Naja necklace circa 1800s?
Coins on necklace are United States half dimes and date between 1842 and 1856. All strung on fine wire.
55 Back of Naja. Hand-engraved on back of turquoise stone: 3-71 KNEISEL
