Saw this at an open air market and while Zuni inlay is not my favorite style of native American jewelry, this piece caught my eye. I know nothing about it, assuming it is sterling, older piece and also assuming Zuni. If any of you of well versed in Zuni inlay and could venture a guess as to maker and approximate value, as always I would greatly appreciate your input. Having just returned from AZ and NM, I did not see anything like this having ventured to Ogg’s Garlands, Hoels, Sissels, Palms, etc.
Thank you for whatever info you might be able to share
I’m not a Zuni person either, but I will say that that is one awesome necklace you found! I have seen some pieces recently that are very similar in style only they were not nearly that grandiose. They were simple pendants. And I cannot remember the name. If @AC shows up, he has quite a collection of Zuni and could probably tell you more. Congratulations!
@biker4all That necklace is gorgeous! The motif reminds me of an Apache Crown Dancer. Any hallmarks on the piece? I can’t speak to its age or value. There are knowledgeable folks here so I’m hoping they’ll chime in.
So far it is only on my wish list hoping to get more information about it. It is somewhat pricey especially as it is far from what I would normally wear, but just really caught my eye. Just hoping someone with expertise in Zuni could give some input if it is truly Zuni. Many necklaces, especially Squash blossom are too large and overpowering for me, but this just speaks to me for some reason.
I only looked at the base pendant for marks and saw none. I didn’t want to remove it from the case as after my trip, I had pretty much done my buying, but this seemed special, just trying to justify it. Thank you.
Think I may have solved my own mystery, though if anyone has any different ideas and approximate value, I would still appreciate knowing your thoughts. Many thanks.
Back in the early 70’s we started to see inlay cabochons come out of the Phillipines. Copies of designs from Zuni and elsewhere. Birds, dancers, all kinds of stuff. I remember my bosses at Sunrise Trading in Gallup getting a 5 gallon bucket full of them for us to set in rings, bracelets, pendants, etc.
This looks like a production piece from that era. Given the style, the MM cut coral cabs, die cut leaves, and standardized round wire filigree it’s a good bet that this is out of a production shop from that period, either here in the US or more likely abroad (Phillipines).
The photo that I just found was attributed to Roland Hogan Begay " Inlay Apache Crown Mountain". Not knowing anything about this jeweler, I appreciate the information you posted @mmrogers . One of the reasons when it is a form that I am not familiar with, I so very much appreciate the insight of you and others on the forum. Having been friendly with several Native American jewelers, I still remember the day when the truck with materials would arrive at the pueblo, some decent pieces of material, and some pieces of block. It is sometimes difficult to differentiate the real from the fake or overseas copies. Gallup is a true learning experience. Thanks again
@biker4all Please take this with a grain of salt… Currently for sale on eBay. In Hougart’s 3rd Edition of NA/Southwestern Hallmarks, it shows Roland Hogan Begay’s (Navajo) hallmark as: R H Begay or R. H. Begay. Active since the 1070s.
Thanks @Patina, the more I look the less I know. It seems that Roland H Begay does not use RHB as his hallmark, at least in pieces that I found on other reputable sellers. It was a pretty piece but I am less convinced that it is what it was being sold as, and at certain price points, I need better verification. I have made a number of mistakes over the years and try to be careful to know who and what I am buying from. It still is an attractive piece, just not sure of its origin.
@biker4all You beat me to it. I just edited my original post to include Mr. Begay’s hallmark as shown in B Hougart’s 3rd Edition book on NA/Southwestern Hallmarks. It does not match the hallmark shown on the cuff photo that I had uploaded.
Could well be Navajo made. There were, and still are plenty of shops turning out hand fabricated jewelry in and around Gallup and the Southwest. Anytime you see a fair number of pieces with the same design and the type of standardized elements previously mentioned, it’s almost sure to be production jewelry making. Absolutely nothing wrong with that, but sellers like to embellish to make items seem more special or other than they actually are.
Yes, I don’t think I believe that the eBay cuff is by Roland Begay. Not only is the hallmark off, the items you find by him on reputable sites like Garland’s, don’t have anything like this.
Well I’m late to the party! I agree with @mmrogers, these are most likely imported inlaid pieces without a lot of detail. There is a new Facebook group “House of Native American Indian Jewelry” that was started by Lyndon Tsosie a couple of weeks ago, one of the members is R.H. Begay which is Roland. Possibly he could be ask if this was his work. Everything he’s shown so far has been Storyteller stuff though! Here’s a pic of one of my Apache Mountain Spirit Dancer pieces by Leonard Lonjose. They’re also known as Gaan Dancers, Crown Dancers and I’ve recently heard them referred to as Devil Dancers.
. I created a workaround…