This sterling silver and turquoise petit point necklace arrived in an estate collection that had some museum quality, authentic Native American pieces in it. The woman who had owned the collection had a very good eye and had some amazing vintage Native American pieces she collected over the years. So if one judged this necklace by the company it kept, it would be thought to be Zuni or Navajo made. I showed it to some experienced dealers and collectors who thought it was an exceptional piece. They felt the workmanship was very good.
What do you think?
From the beginning, although it looked very carefully made, it didn’t look Native American to me – it looked like it was made in another country. So I took a close look……………
Who made this petit point necklace?
There were a few elements that I had never seen in a Zuni or Navajo petit point piece before.
The trapezoid piece above the central medallion was a shape I had not seen before nor were the attachment loops. The trapezoid reminded me of India, Nepal ……….??
The overall style of the collar wings didn’t quite have the Native American look to me……..
And while the embellished links above the collar were a beautiful addition, again, I had not seen that particular element before…………
The hand made chain was really nice and did look like some NA made chains I had seen……..but wait………what’s that on the end??!!
A maker’s disc that says 925 (designation of sterling silver) and PHILIPPINES !!!
If you were fooled, don’t feel bad. A number of very experienced collectors and dealers had looked at this piece and had not suspected it was an import.
It is very rare for an import to have a tag declaring the country of origin like this. Usually you have to be a super sleuth to spot the items that are imported and presented as Native American made. The fraudsters are getting very good at being bad – they copy designs and hallmarks to a T.
Jewelry made in the Philippines, also called Filipino-Made Jewelry, is a severe detriment to the livelihood of authentic Native American artists. In 2015 there was a federal sting operation that identified sellers who were fraudulently presenting imported jewelry as Native American made. You can read about it by clicking the link below.
Three New Mexicans Charged with Fraudulently Selling Filipino-Made Jewelry as Native American-Made
Keep your eyes and ears open, learn all you can. Buy wisely and enjoy !!
Paula
Native American Jewelry Tips 
This is such a great wealth of information to pass on to as many as possible. Thank you so much for doing so. I love following your tips!
You are welcome. Thanks. Paula
Wow! Fantastic workmanship! Being tagged as Philippines or Filipino Made doesn’t bother me as much as blatantly trying to pass it off as Native American made.
My thoughts exactly. It is what it is. A nicely made piece from the Philippines. It came in a large collection where 90% of the pieces were authentic. It is very common for us to receive non-Native American jewelry mixed in. Paula
At first glance, I would have been suspicious but curious. Having been duped myself, one of the first things I look at now is the tiny tag or mark on the clasp. It is an interesting piece though.
Hi Terry, me too. Since it came with an estate lot, well, it was here as part of a group purchase……….but here is the funny thing. I know I show the tag in great magnification in the blog but really it is very tiny and the seller (who was inherited the collection from a relative) said she did not notice it…….and truth be told, about half the people I showed the necklace to in person did not see it……….weird eh? Then I showed them, we got out the magnifier……and they were shocked. If I were offered this to purchase for the store, just as a one item thing, even without seeing the tag, I would turn it down because of the design features I call out in the post……and my gut feeling. Paula
Paula: That is exactly how the scammers get away with it, then say they weren’t scamming because it was marked. I know the size of the tags you are speaking of…almost microscopic. I have also found they can be marked somewhere on a clasp, typically China. So frustrating. Years ago, my Dad gave me a 10x loupe for Christmas and it has really come in handy…when I have it on me! Sometimes one has to go with the gut. Mine has sometimes served me well and other times given me heartburn. The piece you show is still interesting…sort of Nepalese or something. But it is frustrating if it was sold to someone originally as Native American. With estate lots, one gets what one gets and often times so many surprises! Your site has been very helpful to me personally. I’ve been researching my own collection of Native American jewelry, and your site helped me identify that I had an old Tommy Singer piece. Of course I knew Tommy Singer, just didn’t know all his signatures. Although not perfect as a few pieces of inlay are gone, I put it in a shadow box and hung it on my wall!
Those tiny tags are microscopic! I have also found tiny marks on the clasps…usually China! Very frustrating. My Dad gave me a 10x loupe for Christmas years ago which is very handy…if I have it on me! Spur of the moment shopping forays when I don’t have it, and neither does the shop means I have to rely on my gut. It either serves me well or causes me heartburn! Your site has been so helpful to me personally in sorting through my Native American jewelry collection. I found I had a Tommy Singer piece and was thrilled, not knowing he had used so many different signatures over the years. Has a few pieces of inlay missing, so mounted it in a shadow box and hung it on the wall! As for estate lots, they are so full of surprises!
That’s great !! Glad you find the articles helpful. Here at work I have all kinds of magnification devices, most of them with added light. They really help. Paula
The purpose of your blog is unclear. The tag clearly states Philippines. Did the woman tell you it’s a Zuni necklace? I know it’s not Native American just by looking at it. It’s a beautiful piece, better than many Native American jewelry I’ve seen. There’s an annoying undertone of Native American jewelry is better than other cultures’ in this article. I’m not surprised by the attitude of this article because a friend told me you belong in a couple of Facebook Zuni groups. Fine Native American jewelry is recent compare to Old World craftsmanship. I fault the unscrupulous American sellers and collectors who sell these foreign pieces as Native American by removing the import tags. Why didn’t you also fault Anglos who make Southwestern Style jewelry? They and their cohorts think they’re going around the problem by rewording.
Hello Michael – I’ll intersperse my replies within your comment. Your comments are in quotes and mine follow.
“The purpose of your blog is unclear. ”
My blog is called Native American Jewelry Tips – its purpose is to provide information about Native American Jewelry. If you are saying the purpose of this particular post is unclear, the purpose of this post is to show that one must be ever vigilant and exercise due diligence when evaluating a piece.
“The tag clearly states Philippines. ”
The tag was VERY tiny and only revealed what it said by magnification and cropping……….several people missed the tag altogether.
“Did the woman tell you it’s a Zuni necklace? ”
The woman sold it to us as part of her great aunt’s Native American jewelry collection, neither stating it was or was not Zuni, Navajo or otherwise.
“I know it’s not Native American just by looking at it. It’s a beautiful piece, better than many Native American jewelry I’ve seen. ”
As you read, I also praise the quality of workmanship in my post.
“There’s an annoying undertone of Native American jewelry is better than other cultures’ in this article.”
The annoyance does not originate from this end. The purpose is to show an example, that’s all.
” I’m not surprised by the attitude of this article because a friend told me you belong in a couple of Facebook Zuni groups.”
That is a truly odd thing to say. I’ll just laugh it off. I belong to about 20 Zuni, Navajo, Hopi, Pueblo and other Native American related groups on Facebook where we discuss all kinds of topics.
“Fine Native American jewelry is recent compare to Old World craftsmanship. I fault the unscrupulous American sellers and collectors who sell these foreign pieces as Native American by removing the import tags. Why didn’t you also fault Anglos who make Southwestern Style jewelry? They and their cohorts think they’re going around the problem by rewording.”
I have done so on other posts on this blog. The purpose of this post is simply to show one necklace, made in the Philippines that could be mistaken for a Native American piece.
Paula
I appreciate your input and hints on what to watch for, Paula. As I’m adding to my rather small collection as my budget isn’t enormous, it’s important I have as much knowledge as possible when making purchasing decisions. I have screwed up as well buying pieces that were not authentic NA, but made overseas. While pretty, it defeated my purpose. As for Southwest designers, I don’t fault them as they are addressing a different market, and many of them don’t appear to tout themselves as selling NA. Leo Feeney is one…very Southwest, quite lovely, but not NA.
Kudos to your cool.
Thank you Terry on many levels !
It is true that the makers of southwest style jewelry in general don’t claim that the items are Native American made and that type of jewelry does serve a great purpose – introducing people to some good designs and materials, perhaps a stepping stone toward Native American made jewelry.
For all of this jewelry, whether Native American made, imported, southwest style – it is what it is. As long as it is accurately represented, there is room for it all !
Thanks again for your comments ! Paula
Keep up the good work, Paula…
Thank you Bille. Thanks for stopping by and for your encouragement ! Paula
Valuable information for all collectors of Native American jewelry. You chose a great example, Paula.