Who made this Petit Point necklace?

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

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When was the STERLING stamp first used on Native American jewelry?

An exact date is not available for when the stamp STERLING was first used on Native American jewelry.

According to some sources, the STERLING stamp appeared after 1932.

Most Native American made items from the 1930s and before would not have a STERLING stamp nor any artist hallmark for that matter. But there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to hallmarks – there are always exceptions.

Some items made in the 1940s to 1950s might have the STERLING stamp, most notably, those made by Bell Traders during that time period.

But in general, Native American artists began using the STERLING stamp in the 1950s and 1960s. Since then, the STERLING or Sterling or 925 stamps are quite common as are artists’ hallmarks.

STERLING stamp

Sterling stamp

.925 or 925 indicate that the item is 92.5% silver which is the requirement for something to be called sterling silver.

.925 stamp

In the vast majority of cases, if a piece of Native American jewelry is stamped with one of the above marks, the item is made from Sterling Silver.

If an item is not stamped with one of the above, this does not necessarily mean the item is not made from sterling silver. Most vintage sterling silver Native American items do not have the STERLING mark.

The only definitive way to know is to perform an acid test.

Paula