So, who made a sort of South Western silver necklace?

I like this. I'm keeping it.

The only marks are SIL and W&S, and they look oldish. In the sense of not within the last forty years.

I'd appreciate comments, ideas and especially thoughts on the beads!

 

I have a necklace made of those blue beads too ... I think it's what's called 'sponge coral' ... but I'm not 100% sure about it. Hopefully someone can confirm this.

 

It could well be, I've had other bits of it. The other beads are weird.

 

Maybe betel nuts ground into tubes/heishi?

 

I am not familiar with those beads coming from the Native American tribes of the SW USA.
The flat metal spacers are unknown to me , in traditional NA work.
It resembles a Heishi necklace , but Heishi is made of shell, along with turquoise , jet , and coral.

The pendant is a casting, of a phoenix , with what looks to be crushed inlay of turquoise & coral.
It may indeed be silver , but I don't recognize the stamps.



None of this is to say that it's not NA......but there is a huge amount of offshore items that simulate NA , that have made their way into the market place.

 

It's what I'd call biker jewelry. The phoenix is crushed random rock in what may be silver; the pieces of this I've seen have often been sold to folks who ride motorcycles, and some crafty soul married it to those beads. The dyed blue sponge coral is surfer jewelry or teenage boy necklace jewelry.

 

It tests silver, and yes, certainly it's that embedded turquoise and coral. A marriage of beads and pendant had also crossed my mind. I think it's slightly better beads than some: that's a good barrel clasp for one thing.

Mind you, if the thing is a marriage, they had a hell of a job. Said beads won't go through the bale.

 

From the looks of it, someone sat down at a beading board and made the necklace around the pendant. I do the same often enough - it looks like it's strung on tigertail or maybe even the older bare wire. Personally, I'd take it apart and put that phoenix or peyote bird on a leather cord where it belongs.

 

I think it's a marriage and would also separate it. Chip inlay was developed by Tommy Singer (Navajo) in the late 60s/early 70s but everyone started doing it too. Sorry but can't help with the initials.

 

Thanks both! It's on a double strand of twisted bare wire as far as I can make out. Certainly looks as though someone took trouble with it.

 

The bird is a mythical peyote bird, a symbol of the Native American Church. Peyote bird jewelry is often made of silver with turquoise and coral chip inlay.

 

likely same artist......said to be from the 60's......but i have no proof of that.

 

Thanks both - I like the idea of it being peyote.

komo, that does look similar - any marks?

 

This piece bothers me - it looks to be nice quality chip inlay, and if unmarked wouldn't be odd, but the marks present are just so off for NA. Intaglio punches are very uncommon (Kenneth Begay is the only one that comes to my mind), incuse marks being typical, the use of serif type is also very uncommon, and can't recall seeing an ampersand, indicating a partnership, or the use of 'SIL' on NA silver at all...

~Cheryl

 

Yeah, agreed Cheryl.My thought was some company emulating NA - selling the birds and all that.

 

It's just very strange, the marks don't look like anything modern at all, almost makes me wonder if someone had some old punches lying around and for some reason added them to an unmarked piece. Personally, aside from the marks, the pendant itself looks right to me, including what can be seen of the back - the bracelet Komo posted is unmarked and to my eye, does bear a strong resemblance to yours in design and workmanship...

~Cheryl

 

The one I posted is said to have no marks.
So that makes the markings on yours even odder.

I agree with dragon , that the pendant looks right , but upon close inspection of what I can see , there is no coral there , only a red dye placed over the green stones which adds to my suspicion that this is not authentic NA.

Even the bracelet I posted , which indeed looks like the same casting, looks like a factory made item....from somewhere else than the US Southwest.

The amount of offshore fakes of SW NA jewelry is staggering by any account & while I an not well versed in knowing the fakes, I'm pretty good at identifying the genuine stuff......and this one has me scratching my head......not in a good way.

 

It's not a red dye, komo, it's definitely crushed coral, and not dyed coral at that. The pieces are individual under a loupe and not dye overlaid on the blue turquoise. The silver is also inlaid in the crushed stone areas individually. It tests silver, and the impressed marks do look to have a bit of age. I certainly don't think it's NA, I've enough of the real to know the difference, hence the "South Western" term.

I do, as I say, think it's some commercial company, but I'd love to know who....!

Cheryl, I think the punches are contemporaneous. Too much old wear and muck in them if that makes sense.

 

it's hard to make that out even with the close ups.....the red looks like a soup.

 

Sorry. I should have done a decent one of the coral.