Hello,
I recently acquired this bracelet in an auction lot. I checked the Native American Hallmarks on line, and I think it may be Fannie Platero, the online example has the word Sterling in a script font and this is block lettering. Any input would be greatly appreciated. I’m also curious if anyone has any idea what mine the turquoise may have come from.
Thanks.
(Hopefully I’ve attached the images correctly. I’m not seeing images in this screen.)
Looks like Paulene and Dolly Foutz: Native American Anglo Paulene & Dolly Foutz Multi Sto… - Gem
Kind of hard to say. Single letter hallmarks are notoriously difficult to figure out. It appears the purple stone (sugalite?) is popping out? It also looks like there’s some sort of substance/gunk all along the inlaid stones. One of the stones looks like something I’ve seen called “Red Skin turquoise” which is from a mine in China. And some of the other also look like they could be from a Chinese mine. But I could most definitely be wrong on that… just guessing.
IMO, it doesn’t look like Fanny Platero’s work; not sure about the other artists either.
This style of Hopi inlay is often counterfeited due to its higher price tag vs relative ease of manufacture, the most famous case being counterfeit Loloma pieces created by a Floridian named Robert Haack.
Here’s an interesting article about the case. To me this looks like a possible copy of Zuni work, since most Hopi jewelry is overlay. Not just Loloma work is faked; lots of Native artists are struggling against this.
Channel inlay isn’t particularly or solely a Hopi style. (Loloma’s work, since you mentioned it, wasn’t flush set.) There are excellent Zuni and Navajo makers who do work in this style.
