About the Introductions & Chat category

Love this! I inherited one also. I had mine restrung, because it had been in a little bag in our basement for decades (my mom forgot it was there :grin:). I wasnā€™t sure if it would hold up, since I have recently began wearing it more often.

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Out of everything we received, I think I love this one the best, because it goes with my Thunderbird (marked Indian handmade Coin silver) bracelet that I got from my mom (this poor bracelet has been through a repair or two and some sort of cleaning, because in the 10 years since the last repair it has not tarnished)

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All 3 look really good together (love the middle one). The thunderbird is cool, but I see what you mean that it looks like it got cleaned by something. Whenever I send a piece away to be fixed I try to be specific about not doing anything much to it. I think most places in the southwest know this, but I had a buckle from my mom fixed, and they polished it too much for my taste.

Isnā€™t it so special to have received items from our parents? Itā€™s what started me on this path.

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Thank you, the middle one is also IH coin silver, my mom entrusted these to me as a teen.
The other has a faint mark and if memory serves is from either New Mexico or Colorado late 60s early 70s, I need to get a more in focus on the backside, but didnā€™t become mine till much later.

My mom made the repairs during a brief revisit to jewelry making after her retirement as a teacher.

I do appreciate being given these items to entrust, and really happy to have found this site, just lurking has been helpful in my research.

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Found this photo, we donā€™t have any of these but holy cow

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Hi, Im from a remote island way up in Canada, far from Turquoise country! I am an artist, and have always loved First Nations (as we say in Canada) art and culture, and I live close to it here. I have been to Arizona a few timesā€”the Tucson gemshow twiceā€”i love to rent a van and camp alone in the desert and eventually would like to drive down in my little bus for longer stays. I joined this group because I love Turquoise and want to know about itā€”as a jeweler, I do metal casting and enamellng, and do use some tuquoise. I am also a painter, weaver and natural dyer, and I feel that this community would be inspiring to me and I could learn so much.
I was recently given a squash blossom necklace ( about which I know nothing) and that was my immediate inspiration to join you.
Warmest regards, Brigid

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Welcome to the forum! There is another Canadian member on here who I believe is from BC. And I have spent lots and lots of time throughout my life visiting Canada (close to a year when you add it all up!), so I am a Canadian fan!!

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Smiling. Well, Iā€™m a desert fan, I do love that part of the world, its so beautiful. The people there are really kind and nice too.

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@Brigid , hello and welcome! Iā€™m the other Canadian member that @Ziacat mentioned. Lovely to meet you! I live on Vancouver Island and, like you, I also love First Nations arts and cultures.

Itā€™s a challenge being attracted to southwest Native American jewellery too, though, as unsurprisingly thereā€™s very little of it to purchase locally :laughing: but the kind people on this forum are very helpful with both identification and suggesting good sources for purchase. Your squash blossom necklace is a magnificent first piece :two_hearts:

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Wow @Texast211 such a beautiful collection. :pray:t2:

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Hi, I am interested in learning about vintage Native American jewelry makers.
Jan

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I am fairly new to collecting and selling. I have some old items that I cannot use anymore because they are to small or changed style and want to sell but do not know how to sell and how to know if they are real. Some are marked silver and some not or may have a mark and I cannot tell. I love Turquoise most of all. So if anyone can help me I would appreciate it. I can pictures and descriptions

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Welcome! I would post your jewelry as threads in other categories like ā€œidentifying and discovering.ā€ And if you have a bunch, itā€™s helpful to just do a couple at a time and be patient with the forum members. Sometimes it takes awhile for us to get to everything. And yes please, pictures of the front and back of items.

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Welcome! You will learn a lot on this site by reading a lot of previous threads. Enjoy!

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Hello all. I became interested in Native American Chumash culture and sweat lodges many years ago when I first moved to California. In the last few years I began collecting turquoise jewelry; small items at first like rings and pins and then fell in love with cuffs, especially watch cuffs, when I found a broken, dirty one that I rescued and put back together. I saw what it once was and wanted to make it whole again. That first cuff was my love and I have been searching for them ever since. I am curious to learn more and found turquoisepeople.com during one of my research dives into learning more about the makers of these wearable art pieces of Native America.

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Hi, Iā€™m excited to find this group! Iā€™ve been drawn to Native American jewelry since I was a kid (probably because turquoise is my birthstone and favorite color), but my interest really took hold after my parents retired in Arizona and I used to visit a wonderful shop owned by really knowledgeable people who carried beautiful work (including rugs and pottery). I loved learning more about hallmarks, which make me feel more connected to the gifted makers of the pieces I own.

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