Vintage Jewelry

This Navajo handmade sterling silver Beautiful Bug brooch has a beautiful Bisbee turquoise set in the body.  Elegant stamp-work graces the wings.  The pinback is horizontal on the body which would make it easy to wear as a pendant by threading a chain through it.  This broach was part of a larger collection of vintage Native American jewelry.  Made in the 1940s to the early 1950s.

Size: 1.25" L x 1.375" W

This lovely sterling silver, vintage Navajo ring is set with gleaming white mother of pearl which showed up slightly yellow in the photos.  The mother of pearl is in a shadowbox setting surrounded by twisted wire with a hand-stamped leaf on one side with a vine and shadowbox scallops on the other side.  We estimate it was made in the 1970s.

Size: 7 - Setting 1" H x .75" W

Natural polished Kingman turquoise nuggets and natural red coral are set in sterling silver in this Navajo handmade, vintage squash blossom necklace.  The naja is tufa cast - more about najas and the process of tufa cast jewelry below.  Each of the six blossoms have a red coral and turquoise are set in shadowboxes above the blossoms. Each of the set stones have leaves on one side and vines on the other.  The blossoms are strung on double strands of sterling silver beads and end with a silver hook and eye clasp.  This was part of a collection of older Native American jewelry and was possible made in the 1950s to 1970s.  There is no hallmark or name attributed to this necklace.  It has been cleaned and polished.

Size: 22.5" Long - Naja: 2.25" H x 2.5" W - Blossoms: 1.5" L x .75" W

Najas are a prominent symbol in Navajo jewelry and are always the center piece in squash blossom necklaces.  I was told they are a feminine symbol, and their crescent shape represents the arms of a matriarch and the generations of the past and future.  It symbolizes ease of movement, paths of least resistance for the family, even during challenging times.  There is a sense of open arms in the shape of the naja that is soothing.  Some najas have hands on each end.

Tufa Cast Jewelry: Tufa is a volcanic stone which can be as dense as chalk which has an organic texture. The first thing a jeweler does is examine a piece of tufa for any tiny fractures.  If it looks good, the tufa is cut in half and, if there is a design, it is carved into the tufa.   There is a pour hole carved into the top and several narrow vents carved into each side.  The two pieces are then bound together tightly and molten silver or gold is poured through the hole at the top.  If there are any microscopic cracks, the tufa explodes when the metal is poured in and the process has to begin again. 

This delightfully inlaid Zuni deer brooch is inlaid with jet, coral, turquoise, and clam shell.  The lovely details include flattened silver wire from the nose to the hooves, and six round silver accents.  It was well taken care of by the last person to wear it and it was part of a collection of vintage Native American jewelry.  Made in the 1950s to the early 1960s.

Size: 1.675" H x 1.125" L