Featured Squash Blossom Necklace...no mark/signature

True.

I think we all take issue with that, also when it comes to copying Western or other historic or traditional styles and selling them as true antiques or truly of a certain culture. Sadly faking is on the increase, as we see all to often on this forum.

 

Very interesting discussion, thanks to all who participated.

 

I love the discussions here-we all learn so much! You guys are the Masters I never finished lol.

Exactly and that has really made me a far more wary internet shopper although I’ll probably never stop!

 

Same here.
How are you feeling now, still battling that nasty flu?

 

It's fun finding the pieces that cross over, artistically. Artists have been influencing each other, borrowing back and forth, since the Hittites and the Jebusites. The fun part is figuring out which bits originally came from where.

I always thought the Naja design was North African, brought into Spain by the "Moors" when Spain was partly Muslim. The Moors were given the boot, but the design influence stayed. Some of that came to the New World with the Spanish, who then swapped designs with the locals.

Proceed to confusion.(LOL)

 

Thanks for asking. I’m much better but will probably continue to cough for weeks. Really haven’t been this sick in decades.

 

It is seen a lot in Berber jewellery as well, but it has been traced back to one of the many elements of European origin in Berber culture. The Romans had lunar pendants on horse harnesses, just like the Berbers and later the Moors.

Being a mix myself, I love those cross-cultural influences. Once you know what to look for, you find it everywhere.
Cultural identity is always an identity that is confident enough to embrace other things, imo.

 

I have no idea, but... soooo easy to fake.

 

the ticket could be legit.........but 1968 does not qualify as anyone's definition of, ' old pawn ' ...

 

earlier.....
here's a general opinion....

Although most Navajos wore some jewelry on a daily basis, they put their entire fortune on display during community events. Considering this dual function, Native-owned jewelry tended to be very heavy and showy, incorporating as much silver as was practical and as its owner could afford.

By the turn of the last century, it became common practice for the Navajo to place some of their jewelry in pawn at the local trading post when it was not being used. Owners could borrow for food and supplies against pawned jewelry, and they knew it would be secure in the trader’s safe until the next public occasion when they would redeem it and proudly wear it again.

Occasionally an owner would be unable to redeem an item and, after a certain period of time, it would be considered “dead pawn.” The trader could then sell it at will. Some traders also bought Indian jewelry specifically to sell to their Anglo customers. In this way, some of the early, high-quality jewelry gradually made its way to non-Indian owners. Present-day collectors generically identify these older, heavier items as “old pawn.”

 

$549 dollars seems like a lot for a pawn shop to shell out. It seems like they would weigh the item and offer half of the melt value....I could totally be wrong on this.

 

that's their selling price.......