I am attempting to purchase this cuff. But after spending hours looking online and Hougarts book I have been unable to identify its maker. I would have thought by the true craftsmanship of this piece it would certainly be a known artist.
I have searched 6TS, TS, GT to no avail.
Also is there a book on Southwest Native Amer and/or Zuni hallmarks and
that includes identifying practices/styles of unsigned artists that is recommended?
it almost looks like some other mark was ground off before this one was applied. odd. you didn’t ask for this opinion, but i’m not convinced this is legit. I’m getting an import vibe from the flat round dots, which is more common in SE Asian work.
I did contact the company who sent me add’l photo of the initials that I posted here. The scrapping off of tarnish they did to clearly show the hallmark. They also guarantee authenticity although they did not share with me Artists name. I guess I should contact them again and just ask.
yeah, that’s absolutely sketchy. you don’t “scrape” off tarnish like that. no one that handles jewelry would ever do anything damaging to a surface like this to try to reveal or highlight a hallmark. i call BS and suggest you steer clear. i dont think this seller has a clue.
Reminds me of yet another variant of Tommy Singers many signatures. The G or 6 may be a shop mark as he was known for putting a shop mark before his signature. Just my gut reaction when I saw it. I’m not sure how you could re-stamp this without damaging the front of it, takes quite a bit of force to imprint letters into a cuff and this would have had to be done after it was finished, if we buy into the theory that it was changed. Without being able to feel it I can’t tell hope deep those scratches are. The flat buttons have been used in Native work, but the whole thing has a strange vibe to it.
Sorry guys my internet went down 2 days. As to the scrapping I see this quite often even on items listed with the big dogs such as Skinners. I do believe this is Native, lot of work to be faux. Rope looks hand twisted.
Speaking of T Singer, i do notice much of his bezeled stonework is smooth such as this piece vs saw-tooth set.
The Invaluable auction broker link above will show you the piece but is offered by Bradfords Auction House based in Arizona.
Thank you for all your help, ten days left if any of you come up with anything.
I’m with the others, it just feels slightly off for Native work. I have a couple well done Native American pieces which have hallmarks I’ve never been able to find. That’s just what happens sometimes. Not sure it looks like a Tommy Singer piece, although of course I’ve never seen all of his stuff.
Those tall-bezeled “opals” set as end caps vs. in plane to the claws are uncharacteristic of Native work but definitely in the Southeast Asia design vocabulary. I notice the auction listing just says it’s “Native American” and calls those stones “opal,” when it seems to be lab opal. Sloppy at best.
Overall the work is Navajo style, but there are elements like the way the bezels are arranged on the side panel bear claws, and the flattened shot, flattened twist wire, and sections of 1/2 round meandering over the claws on the top panel that look “off” to me. I’d stop at “Navajo Style” with no further attribution on this one. Realistically, I doubt the craftsperson behind this piece is Native.
Thanks for mentioning the opals, chicfarmer. I was wondering about those, they just looked different. Just seems like there’s a whole lot going on on this piece. If you know what I mean.
I to agree with @mmrogers . Navajo “style” seems appropriate but since I’m not up on modern NA style I hesitated to comment. Some of the stylish components of the bracelet did appear to have an Asian influence to me and I did not like the filed off original mark or the sloppy bezels. Also, I’ve dealt in Australian opals and the visible pattern in the photos appears to be that of synthetic opal. And black bear claws are readily available.
“Faux” doesn’t necessarily mean not a lot of work was put into it if you’re looking for genuine Native American workmanship. it depends on what you’re trying to purchase. If you want to support legit NA art and artists, buy direct.
If you want to make yourself sick to your stomach and paranoid of buying online, google Vitpies Silver and look at their facebook page for a prime example of some of the “faux” work coming out of Thailand. legit silver, legit stones, mostly NA-style from top to bottom. most of it very difficult to tell from the real deal once it gets into the market, especially for someone who isn’t used to scrutinizing eery detail of workmanship and style. And this is just ONE maker.
Aaaaannnnd… that’s why I mostly don’t buy online. I do shop from Britwest, but I met her and checked out her stuff at an art market. And she collaborates with a number of native artists, and talks about this on her site.
