IHMSS IHMS HMIJ UITA Hand Made by Indians and more

Paula,

Any idea about this mark?

Thanks, Jeff.

Hi Jeff,

There are a number of general marks that were used to denote that items were made by Native American Indians, usually Navajo. These include

IHMSS which stands for Indian Hand Made Sterling Silver

IHMS which stands for Indian Hand Made Silver (so would refer to items made with coin silver or other silver of a lesser silver content than sterling silver)

HAND MADE BY INDIANS – per guru Kim Messier, this stamp was only used at the Garden of the Gods Trading Post.

More generic HAND MADE stamps were used at shops or collectives where a number of NA artists worked, some doing silversmithing, some preparing stones, some setting stones etc. This would include stamps used at White Hogan.

I’ve also seen HMIJ which stands for Hand Made Indian Jewelry

and UITA which stand for United Indian Traders Association.

All of these designations were intended to identify the items as Native American made. Although they often appear alone, I’ve also seen most of these stamps along with an artist’s name or hallmark to designate the particular artist who made the piece.

I hope this helps but the bottom line is that you have a very handsome ring !