Native American Squash Blossom

It’s heavy, it’s tarnished…but I can’t post pictures from my phone. I’m looking for an ID and possibly an era? I’m thinking 60s or 70s

 

Are U a NEW MEMBER, just found this site,LOOK HERE 1st ....

 

No marks at all?

Debora

 

Nope, not that I could find. I know my mother paid a pretty penny for it though, and it’s at least 20 years old. That’s about how long she owned it.

 

1970s very likely. Native American jewelry was hugely popular then.

Debora

 

u said heavy so I thought it would have more gravitas...

it doesn't look old enuf to have no siggy... no silver mark...
the squashes are made fast & loose
the stones......a jumble mix of size lacking quality
the feathers are poorly constructed
the Naja is light and the wires are thin.........

would not surprise me to be an offshore fake............ imo

@2manybooks
@all_fakes
@Potteryplease

it looks similar to this....... mess...
( ignore the price..& description....... old pawn , my foot !!!)

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/948236125/old-pawn-necklace-turquoise-necklace

 

Kinda figured it wasn’t Old Pawn jewelry. Figured it was made in the 70s for a tourist shop.

 

I agree with @komokwa that the quality is not what I would associate with Navajo silversmithing. One thing I notice is that the round hollow beads appear to be machine made. The traditional Navajo method is to make two separate domes and solder them together, which leaves at least a trace of a ridge around the circumference of the bead. I can't see any ridge on these beads, except perhaps a seam running from top to bottom, which would indicate the bead was made from a welded tube - a modern industrial method.

The squash blossoms also look like they may be made from machine stamped components.

 

Why would there be marks? There were thousands Native American/southwest pieces made in the 60's through the 90's with no marks. Hobbyist,Dead Heads,hippies,etc.......

 

I can't add much, except maybe to also tag @stracci.

 

It's pretty, but I think maybe Mexican, and not sterling.
The construction just doesn't seem right, and those squash blossoms flowers and feathers are poorly worked.
The first thing I noticed was that the clasp is not correct for NA jewelry. This style of clasp is commonly found on costume jewelry.

 

$1800 US.......

did u notice one row of beads is missing..??

& the Turqs are horrible........

click my link......

 

whether there r or r not....... if not mentioned.... one must always ask !

how else we gonna know ?

 

@Any Jewelry

 

Oh dear, Bob, not much of a welcome, is it.
Unfortunately I agree with the others, it isn't a well made piece, it is even difficult to recognize the squash blossoms as such, and the feathers lack detail.

I'm with @2manybooks about the round beads, and with @stracci about the hook clasp, it looks different from NA hooks.
Even the figure 8 clasp loop looks different from the usual NA figure 8s, it looks stamped.
No end cones, but not all of them have those.

It looks like the maker was trying to reproduce a squash blossom necklace from a small photo, not from tradition.

I saw that @reader had a look (can't hide anything here), what do you think?

 

I also wonder why it has those tube like decorations. Some are less distracting from the esthetic than others, but this one on the naja dangle is, imo:

 

Ya know, opinion is just that…opinion. It probably isn’t the most exquisite thing you’ve ever seen…but to label it junk. I understand it has its flaws, and honestly most immaculate pieces do. Not offended in the least. It was my mom’s she passed on, and she loved it when it was hers. Hopefully, I can find out a bit more about it. Who knows, it could have been an earlier much earlier piece made by a well known maker. It coulda been a kid entering the hobby. It could be an imported piece? It remains a mystery.
A buddy of mine, a skilled flintlock maker of his time, once told me his earlier rifles were never marked…but he could identify them by his mistakes.

 

I don't think anyone did. People are just pointing out discrepancies compared to the NA pieces they know well. Most of the people who commented have seen/owned/bought/sold their fair share of NA jewellery, including squash blossom necklaces.