On the last working day before the Chinese New Year, I received double surprises. First, I got a beautiful colorful bear pendant made by Alvin yellowhorse: according to the seller’s description, this pendant is made of 18K gold and various stones. One side of the pendant is inlaid with a flat mosaic of various brightly colored gem-grade stones, while the other side has a golden nameplate inlaid in the middle of lapis lazuli. The nameplate bears Alvin yellowhorse‘s hallmark, but I didn’t see the 18K mark.
The second surprise was that I found among the inlaid stones used by the author a piece that I believe is Lander Blue turquoise. Genuine Lander Blue is extremely rare nowadays, but the pattern on the hind leg of this bear is very typical of it.
you can contact the artist, Alvin Yellowhorse direct and ask him if he remembers where that cut originated.
Thank you so much for your advice. I’ve tried sending a message to Mr. Alvin Yellowhorse.
Regarding the Lander Blue turquoise, based on my experience, if you magnify those small pieces of Lander Blue enough, their blue patches and webbing will look very similar to the magnified image of my stone. I feel that the probability of this stone being Lander Blue is quite high 
please share with the group any reply you receive from Alvin Yellowhorse
I don’t believe this is Lander Blue, because there isn’t a trail of documentation for it, but hopefully he will get back with you and let you know. I have looked at a number of his pieces online, and he uses a lot of uncommon turquoise such as Candelaria, Lone Mountain, and really beautiful black web Kingman, but I have not seen that he has used Lander Blue. Many many of these different types of turquoise can look very much like LB. I also think the matrix color is slightly off in yours to be Lander Blue, but I am not an expert, and I think only an expert would be able to tell.
But whatever the case, it’s a really unique piece, and the turquoise is beautiful.
Was this from an auction or a retail seller, if you might share? It seems atypical in several ways from other AY work so I hope you have confidence in the seller. From the shape of the bear to the thickness and organization of the inlay (on a stone base layer vs. metal) to the unusual bale and the applied plate for the hallmark. And yeah, the lack of gold content marking…
I’d expect all of the stones to be gem-grade natural material if one piece is Lander Blue. Not the case here. Lander Blue is not a realistic expectation when a piece has no provenance on the stones.
I hope you were sold something truthfully and that you are happy.
This bear was purchased from a jewelry merchant on eBay at a very reasonable price considering the craftsmanship. The stones used in this pendant are of a higher grade than those seen in silver bear pendants online, such as genuine Carico Lake and gem-quality lapis lazuli.
Unfortunately, I haven’t heard from AY yet.
After the Chinese New Year holiday is over, I will first check the metal material.
Also, let me explain my understanding of this pendant. Alvin yellowhorse is a great master, but there seems to be no significant imitations circulating on the market. And if one wants to imitate his work for profit, he will not deliberately make it unlike the classic style. This pendant doesn’t look as gorgeous as Raymond’s cobblestone inlay, but if you look closely at the stone seams, it is very precise, and if you look at it from different angles, the density and luster of the stones are very good.
