Screw Back Earrings

According to Warman’s Antique Jewelry, screw back earrings date from 1909 and although still used, they are not common on new Native American made pieces.

 

Screw Back Earrings

Vintage Sterling Silver and Turquoise Screw Back Earrings

Paula

Libert Peyketewa – Zuni Needlepoint

Needlepoint Set by Libert Peyketewa

I had a wonderful chat with Libert Peyketewa’s son, Clybert Peyketewa, and here is what he told me, which is somewhat at odds with what is stated in the hallmark books:

Clybert’s father, the late Libert Peyketewa, was taught needlepoint and silverwork by his father and mother, LaVern Peyketewa and Victoria Amasoila. When Libert married, he taught his wife Carol the stone work while he continued to do the silverwork. After Libert passed away, his wife never remarried and and discontinued the jewelry making. Clybert figures this set was made in the late 1980s.

Libert Peyketewa’s hallmark

Most Libert Peyketewa sets we’ve seen have only two or maybe three pieces. This is a rare set that has four pieces. Color of necklace, bracelet and earrings matches very well, the ring is a bit more green.

From page 39 Who’s Who in Zuni Jewelry

Paula

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Native American Ring and Earring Special from now until Valentine’s Day

From now until St. Valentine’s Day, February 14, take advantage of “Paula’s Heart Special”.

Buy any two rings and get a third ring of your choice for free !!

Buy any two pair of earrings and get a third pair for free !!

The free ring or earrings need to be of equal or lesser value than the lowest price item you purchase. For example, if you purchase a $100 ring and and $80 ring, you can have a ring of your choice worth $80 or less for free !!

Here’s how to take advantage of this special offer.

Browse rings in three places: our New Native American rings, our Native American Pawn Shop rings and our Bargain Barn Rings.

Decide which 3 rings you want and place the two highest priced rings in the cart. Don’t add the ring you want for free to the cart. Instead, as you are checking out, in the note section of the order, enter “Paula’s Special” with the item number of the ring you want for free.

By the way, if you are looking at a ring or earring lot, that will count as one item whether your are buying or claiming your free item.

Only rings that have an order button on their page are eligible. If an item says SOLD, it is no longer available.

Here are the 3 ring sections to browse in:

New Native American Rings

Native American Pawn Rings

Bargain Barn Rings

Similarly, you can buy two pair of earrings and choose one pair for free. Single ear cuffs count as one pair whether you are purchasing or requesting for free. Here are the three earrings sections.

New Native American Earrings

Native American Pawn Earrings

Bargain Barn Earrings

Feel free to mix and match between rings and earrings.

I think that’s about it. If you have any questions, be sure to ask ! I answer promptly.

Paula

Ear Cuffs and other Stuff……..any ideas?

Hi Paula,

I have a piece if jewelry that I am not even sure of what it is. I know they are to wear on the ears and I call them cuffs, but they are not exactly cuffs. The mark inside if very hard to read for me. I will attach photos and see if you can make it out. I can see Sterling and then 2 indiscernible words. The mark is TM and then hand etched a circle with another emblem in the circle. I slightly polished with a cloth trying to get a better view. The other pieces are just some things I have had for about 40 years. Nothing spectacular, but I would love if you could tell me anything about them. The silver band is the only one that is marked and it has a mark of LS and a stamp that looks almost like a face to me. The other pieces have no marks what so ever.

Thank you for any info you can provide on the ear cuffs.

Donna

HI Donna,

I don’t wear earrings so I might be way off on this but my take is that these are either post or wire hoop-style earrings that have lost their posts or wires !  They look like earrings I have seen made in Mexico. Again, I could be all wet on this and I invite readers of this blog to chime in.

I can’t really read the hallmarks even when I Iightened the photo.

As far as your other items, the big turquoise ring, the ring next to the “ear cuffs” and the coral earrings seem to be in the style of Native American made items but it is hard to tell from the group photo.  The coral earrings are squash blossom style since they have the 3 petal squash blossom embellishment at the bottom as you see on the necklaces such as this.

Perhaps your earrings were part of a necklace set in the past.

The little ring between the big turquoise ring and what you are calling “ear cuffs” could be a Bell Trading Co. ring. It looks the style. Read about Bell Trading Co. here.

Here is an example of the type of ring from that company

It is possible that your other items are Native American made or they could just be southwestern style jewelry. It is hard to tell from the photo.

I invite comments !!

Paula

Repurposing Vintage Native American Clip Earrings – A Pendant Waiting to Happen

Clip earrings. They are a thing of the past ………. or are they? More and more we are seeing clip earrings in retro fashion photos.

And with repurposing being all the rage……..many of these little beauties can have second, third and fourth lives !!

Today I got playing around with all the clip earrings we got in an estate lot.

Just with the one omega necklace that I wore to work today, I came up with some really cool combinations.

Singles as pendants

Doubles – Two of the same kind

Doubles flanking the Merle House inlay pendant I wore to work today. Wow ! Radical.

And multi-mixtures.

There are a couple of very neat things about this repurposing:

First of all, in the case of these vintage, New Old Stock sterling silver earrings, many are hallmarked and made very well.

Next, they are inexpensive. You get two “pendants” for a fraction of the cost of one.

Because you get two, you can use two in mix and match creations.

You can lose one and not cry because you will still have one pendant.

You can keep one and give one to your best friend.

You can wear one as a pendant and clip the other to your shirt collar, your jeans pocket or cuff.

Of course there are many other things to do with these nuggets of history. Several bloggers, much more crafty that I, have provided some ideas that require tools and glue, not for me, but here you go ! Paula

10 Reasons to Collect Clip on Earrings

Clipping on Some Style Around the House

Jacla, Jackla, Jocla………No matter how you spell it, what is it?

A traditional Pueblo jewelry adornment, a jacla is two loops of heishi that were originally earrings and sometimes fastened to the bottom of a stone necklace as a pendant-like attachment.

Jacla is Navajo for “ear string”. The Navajo spelling is the most commonly used version of the word. Jocla is also common but jackla is a phonetic mis-spelling. Although jaclas are attributed to the Rio Grande Pueblo Indians, they were traded with other tribes so have become associated with the Navajo as well. They are seen in vintage photos being worn by members of all southwest tribes, both men and women.

In the oldest style necklaces, the jacla is a pair of loop earrings tied onto the necklace.

The two loops would be removed from the necklace and used as earrings.   This is how the jacla originated. This necklace is likely from 1910-1920.

I can picture a pre-European-contact Rio Grande Puebloan taking his or her jewelry off and storing it that way. And sometimes when not wanting to wear earrings, just leaving the jacla on the necklace as a pendant.

The jacla might match the necklace it is attached to or be of contrasting heishi. Most jaclas have tabular pieces in the bottom center that are called “corn”. They are most often made from white or orange (spiny oyster) shell or coral. According to Mark Bahti, author of Collecting Southwestern Native American jewelery, jaclas with spiny oyster shell corn are rarely seen and highly prized by many Indians.

The tips of the jacla loops are traditionally finished off with coral, a contrasting shell or trade beads, often red.

In the early 20th century, jaclas started to be incorporated into part of the necklace, so this necklace would have likely been made after 1920, likely in the 50s.

Contemporary artists use the jacla design in many ways such as this block turquoise jacla necklace with spiny oyster corn.

And here’s one in very fine heishi from Santo Domingo artist Paul Tenorio

Loop earrings are basically a miniature version of a jacla – they are made with and without corn.

Paula

NOS – New Old Stock

We are often contacted by stores and trading posts that are closing and want to sell us their NOS – New Old Stock.

The items range from contemporary to vintage Native American items but still on the stores cards or packages.

Often they are of designs that aren’t currently available anymore and most of the time they are made of heavier sterling silver and with stones we don’t see as often any more…….so they are cool !

Even though they are not used, we put the NOS items in our pawn shop since we didn’t buy them from the artist directly and they usually are not contemporary items. So they seem to fit best in our pawn shop.

We’ve purchased some interesting inventories and collections over the last few years and I am finally listing some of it on the website.

Here are some examples of the NOS we have recently acquired:

Copper Jewelry – Characteristics, Care, Reaction with Skin and Health Benefits

Copper Characteristics

Copper is a pure elemental metal, CU on the periodic table. It is reddish brown and is soft enough so that it is malleable which means you can shape and bend it fairly easily.

Copper oxidizes and darkens when it comes in contact with the air in the environment. It tends to get to a certain dark color but then it doesn’t get any darker.

If you’ve ever seen copper roofs that have turned green, that is what is called copper patina. The copper has reacted with the environment and rain, especially if it is acidic rain.

The same sort of thing can happen when copper comes in contact with your skin if your skin is acidic. The acids in your skin combine with copper and make copper salts which are green. They are harmless and can simply be washed off.

Copper Care

Copper develops a patina, much like sterling silver, but faster and darker, especially in the presence of heat, sunlight, sweat, swimming pools and chlorine water, chemicals and cosmetics. Remove copper jewelry before bathing, swimming, doing dishes, putting on lotion or makeup.

Some people love the deep rich look of vintage copper while others like the bright shiny bronze look of clean copper.

Storage
Keep cooper in a cool, dry place. If possible, store in an anti-tarnish pouch, box or cloth. If you have none of these, use a tightly sealing plastic bag to keep air from contacting the copper items. Adding a strip of anti-tarnish paper can also slow down tarnish.

Cleaning
Effective cleaning products for copper are highly acidic. Here are some methods for cleaning a solid copper item with no stones or gems.

Lemon Juice

• Lay a cloth on your kitchen counter, one that you don’t mind getting dirty.
• Place your copper item in a glass or ceramic bowl on the cloth.
• Squirt lemon juice over the item.
• Move the item in the liquid so that all surfaces have a chance to react with the lemon juice.
• Use a toothbrush to scrub the lemon juice in the crevices.
• Rinse.
• Wash with warm water and soap, using your toothbrush again if necessary.
• Dry

Salt and Vinegar Soak

• Add 1 teaspoon salt and 1 cup of vinegar to 2 quarts of boiling water.
• Remove the pot from the heat.
• Dip the copper item in the liquid, rinse and dry.

Lemon Juice Salt Paste

• Mix lemon juice and salt together until you have a paste which you can use for deep cleaning.
• Apply with a cloth or toothbrush as appropriate.
• Rinse
• Dry

To make a paste that you can apply and leave on an item for a deeper cleanse, you can make a thicker paste by adding some flour to the above lemon-salt paste.

Ketchup and Worcestershire sauce have been noted to be excellent copper cleaners but more expensive than the home preparations above.

To maintain the shine, you can buff a copper piece with an anti-tarnish cloth.

Reaction between copper and your skin

If you have ever had a copper bracelet that started to turn green or even turn your skin green, you might have been turned off by copper.

The green color results from an individual’s body chemistry at a particular time. Two people can wear the same bracelet and one person’s wrist will turn green and the other’s will not. A person can wear a copper bracelet one day with no green marks and the next day green marks might appear.

What does the green tell you? The green color means that your skin has become more acidic and has dissolved copper from the bracelet faster than the body can absorb it. This usually happens when we sweat, when we are stressed, when we experience dietary changes, mainly a poor diet (think junk food).
Green marks might also appear when the body is deficient in copper so is trying to obtain it a rate faster than it can absorb.

When the body is in a state of homeostasis, the copper is absorbed through the skin at the same rate it is dissolved from the bracelet so there are no green marks.

Some makers of copper jewelry, put a coating (sealer) on the copper item to preserve it and prevent the copper from interacting with the wearer’s skin. But then, the purported health benefits of wearing copper would not be achieved.

Is there a health benefit to wearing copper?

There are many who swear by the health benefits of wearing copper (copper bracelet manufacturers) while others have the opposite viewpoint.

Most everyone agrees that wearing copper jewelry does no harm.

Proponents of the benefits say copper does some or all of the following and more:

• Provide necessary copper by absorption through the skin.
• Relive arthritis, tendonitis, carpal tunnel syndrome pain etc.
• Clear the body of toxins.
• Aid in healing.

To decide for yourself, here are some interesting articles on copper:

Copper and Your Health from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources

Beneficial Therapeutic Effect of Copper Bracelets – Life Extension

Medical View of Effectiveness of Copper Bracelets – Creighton University

Health Benefits of Copper Bracelets – eHow Health

Medicinal Effects of Copper Bracelets – Scientia Press

Visit our Copper Shop to find all kinds of vintage copper treasures !

Are these Bird Fetish Necklaces Authentic Native American made?

Paula, we have bird fetish necklace and earrings to go with it (3 sets). The birds appear to be hand craved and detailed. We have done some research but are unable to find another necklace like this one instead of colored beads between the birds there are silver beads. Just trying to find out who made it and if it is authentic. It is in excellent condition as it has been stored away for years. Thank for your help. Tom

Is this authentic Native American made?

Close-up of bird necklace - Native American made??

Hi Tom,

I’ve never seen a Zuni or Navajo fetish necklace made with silver beads between the birds. And I’ve not seen birds carved in this particular shape before. With both of those things being said, it is possible that these could be an exception. However, from what I can see, I’m thinking they are not Native American made. I’m posting the photos so that if another reader has seen something like this from perhaps Mexico or the Philippines, you might get some feedback on these necklaces.

As your research has shown you, typically there is heishi made of penn shell, olive shell, turquoise, coral or other shell or stone material in between the carved animals. And in the case of birds, the two most common and traditional bird shapes are a longer general “song bird” or a hummingbird, some examples below.

Coral birds with coral heishi by Navajo Hector Goodluck

Turquoise Birds with turquoise heishi by Hector Goodluck, Navajo

Mixed Stone Hummingbirds with Penn Shell and Turqoise Heishi by Corrine Ramirez, Navajo

Orange Tip Olive Shell Birds with Olive Shell heishi and turquoise nuggets by James and Doris Coriz, Santo Domingo

Our Annual Native American Jewelry Buying Trip Reveals……..

We just got back from our annual spring buying trip where we seek out the new and beautiful items made by Native American artists in the southwest US.

Here is what we found. No surprise here. Because the prices of silver and gold are higher, the price of Native American jewelry is higher.

But you might not know this. Small things like earrings, pins and light bracelets are just not being made, so are not available.

Medium weight pieces are not as readily available as last year and those that are cost 1 1/2 to 2 times what they did last  year this time. The same item we might have purchased last year at 65 grams for $150 looks pretty much the same but now weighs only 52 grams and costs $225.

Heavy, quality pieces are available and they are where it seems artists are focusing their time.

So we have begun listing the treasures.

Visit our NEW page to see the latest and greatest !!