Any ideas on the maker? Not NA probably because of the 925 stamp, right? Anyone recognize the hallmark? Thanks in advance. I have Anasazi pottery shards I collected as a kid in the late 60s and always wanted to get them set. Found this, so now I don’t need to!
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This is a great concept! Could be NA, hard to say definitively.
I have some shards myself, so maybe I’ll work on something like this…
I would prefer to see the pointed corners blunted a bit, though!
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Don’t count something out JUST because of the 925. My Milford Calamity ring has that mark; he uses it quite a bit. But I don’t know that this piece is native. Also I feel like someone on here once mentioned that’s it’s questionable to use Anasazi pottery in jewelry, but I’m not sure.
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So far I’ve only had good luck… 
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The only curse to REALLY worry about are the state and federal law enforcement agencies if you take anything off state or federal land.
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Truth! When I was a kid a friend of my parents had a dig on their land with some exposed walls. We played there on weekends. So the bits I have are legal. Assuming this bracelet is…
But it might not be. So I would be careful if you are going to sell it, and find out if that’s legal to do.
Same issue with bear claws.
Typically, if it has a state hunting season, it’s legal. Big Brother will eventually get around to restricting sales from private NA artifact collections. As soon as they can come up with the right law that is enforceable.
Usually I buy for resale, but I’m keeping this one!
When I saw you beautiful braclet I was reminded of this piece by Charles Loloma
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Private collections with illegally gotten NA items, or disputed as being illegal, are already subject to federal seizure. There have been some high-profile raids.
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Another good reason for me to find the maker. It’s an interesting hallmark. Kind of spider-like.
Or a Star Wars X wing fighter…
Or a waterbug…
On the question of the “925” hallmark: Sterling silver is an alloy made up of 92.5% pure silver and 7.5% other metals, usually copper or zinc. Sterling silver pieces are stamped with 925 to mark their authenticity Many NA pieces have this stamp along with the artist hallmark.
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I’m just used to seeing NA silver stamped Sterling instead of 925.
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Well, I believe most are stamped with sterling. I have quite a lot, and only one native piece has 925. My older pieces don’t have anything. But…I just meant don’t use it as your absolute only indicator.
You are correct. I should have said “some” rather than “many”. I have three.
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I have some of the same marks on my NA jewelry. Some not marked, some “925” and some “Sterling”. I have heard that some older unmarked NA pieces were made from melted coins referred to as “coin silver”, “nickel silver”. Is this just one of those urban legends?
Coins (typically 90% Ag) have been melted down since colonial times for flatware and holloware. It was a sign of wealth and position. The NA also melted coins for use in jewelry.
Nickel silver or German silver is nickel based and contains no silver. Same for pieces marked only “ALPACA”.
From what I have seen, vintage NA jewelry is either marked “sterling” or not at all. Can’t speak on the 21st century silversmiths. I’m sure some must use 925. But mostly I still am seeing “sterling”. Maybe just tradition for some.
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