Hi everyone, I posted a question earlier about the veracity of a hallmark on a piece of Navajo jewelry I purchased from Hespera and that resulted in a lot of comments about Hespera. So, I’ve got another question for the experts. The owner of Hespera sells most of their jewelry during live shows and the shows move quickly so there’s not really time to ask questions. Some of the Navajo jewelry items are stamped PN who has been described by Hespera as Philbert Nez. There are also many items that are said to be made by Calvin Delgarito, including strung machine-made beads (which the seller does usually describe as machine made). Another artist mentioned as having strung machine-made beads is named Mason Dixon. Does anyone here know if these 3 people exist in the world of Native American jewelry? I can’t really find much online about any of them so I’m curious to know if anyone else has heard of them. Thanks in advance!
Why don’t you just stick with reputable vendors of Native American jewelry–folks with actual experience in the field, connection with living Native American makers (or dealers with solid reputations on historic jewelry), and willingness to stand by what they sell? What is drawing you to a seller that you and others have concerns about? If authenticity and quality matter to you, it only makes sense to learn more about the artists you may be interested in and become selective in where you spend your money. There are resources aplenty.
I second @chicfarmer. There are so many reputable sellers of Native American jewelry; dealers who support artists, do good in their communities, and stand by what they sell. This seller is not one of them. I personally would not want to support their business even if these particular artists did happen to be real. Also, it doesn’t matter at all to me who strung machine made beads, they are still machine made beads.
All very good points and ones I’ve thought about myself recently. I shop at Palms Trading and Rio Grande Trading here in Albuquerque and I do know some about NA jewelry but there’s so much more I can learn.
For the amount of money they’re charging for what they’re selling, I think you could do better or at least equally as well in cost buying from a more reputable site. When I researched Hespera, because I’ve never heard of them, they have a really low rating on trustpilot.com, and their own profile says that they are a " fashion jewelry company”, which normally means imitation or not great quality. I did see where they have some seemingly authentic Native American items and I’m not saying that those aren’t real, but this site just isn’t one I’d feel comfortable buying from. Also, anyone who sells mostly during a live show in which they will not answer any questions sounds dubious to me.
Would a Native - presumably from the South west - really name their child after the surveyed border between Maryland and Pennsylvania- “Mason Dixon”?
That’s telling to me…LOL