Here are my beads again from IJS, late 70s - early 80s.
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I’ve just seen those re-worked beads on a squash necklace at a NA jewelry show @Bmpdvm . The seams had been ground down and polished, and looks like patina added on the sides. IMHO looks terrible and ruins the look.
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Sorry Steve…I assume you are referring to the machine punched beads in the bag, not the squash blossom beads.
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I think I was mistaken @Bmpdvm . The beads I saw definitely look like new manufacture. They have an industrialist look to them and IMHO look bad on a traditional squash. Navajopearsranch.com sells them and claims handmade. An 18” long strand of 10mm beads is $63. They actually don’t look bad as a stand alone strand. Are the NA actually making these so cheaply?
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@StevesTrail Thanks for posting this contemporary necklace. I also see online offerings for “Navajo Pearls” (where did that trade name originate?) Seems like this style is very popular. The web site you referenced states that the metals are white bronze & German silver. Sheesh, what a combo. As far as the “handmade” claim, I can’t help but wonder if the necklaces are assembled by Native Americans rather than handmade as we understand the term. Of course, I may be totally wrong about that and they are handmade.
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So maybe I’m the oddball, but I kinda like the look of those beads. But 60.00 seems low for handmade Navajo pearls (and it’s hard to tell quality very well from a pic).
In the same vein, I bought these saucer pearls directly from the Navajo artist at the Eiteljorg Indian Art Market, and was told they are handmade (they were definitely higher priced than @StevesTrail example).
They have a more modern feel, and I like the darkening done to them. I have them pictured here with my older ones that look more traditional to me (they were pawn).
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Sheesh is putting it mildly!#! What a great example of buyer beware! Kinda sad that unless people know what to look for, they are being fooled.
Didn’t actually know there was a white bronze???
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I’ve seen these strands of machined beads for quite a while. While they are OK ( not my liking) they should not be advertised as “handmade”. I guess they could be called Navajo pearls if there is a Navajo involved somewhere in the manufacturing process…don’t know if there is a definition for that term. How can they be sterling for that price??
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@Ziacat, Love your saucer shaped pawn beads, and agree the two strands compliment each other. I can’t tell from the picture, but your round strand does not look like the newer style @StevesTrail posted. There are lots of Mexican sterling beads out there that are quite nice and appear similar to yours and a better price; most I’ve seen are completely round and don’t appear to have a seam. I’m uncertain how they are made.
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You are correct, the round beads are the old ones, the saucer-shaped are the new ones I just got this summer at the Indian market. I have no idea how old the round ones are. They told me at Cameron Trading Post that they were “older.”
I was thinking the saucer shaped ones had a little bit of the look that @StevesTrail posted. The coloring, not the shape.
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In my opinion these are machine made and at $60-70 per strand they are most likely made somewhere other that the US.
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Beautiful beads and they both appear to be handmade. Some of the artists like the oxidized look and some also smooth their solder lines more that others. 
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Thanks! I assumed the older one was handmade, but wasn’t sure, since I couldn’t remember exactly what I was told when I bought it. Navajo pearls are a type of Native jewelry I haven’t spent as much time looking at when I travel, so I struggle with knowing the difference in the quality. But I felt safe purchasing both of these, because of where I bought them.
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Yes, it is real in that:
- The stones are definitely Turquoise, possibly from the Battle Mountain mines
- The metal looks like tarnished silver, but without a reverse image it is impossible to tell.
- The design and construction is consistent with early 20th century Navajo, but, again, a photo can only tell you so much.
As to value, it could range from $500 to $5,000 depending on the size (not able to determine), silver quality, artist, etc.
I strongly recommend you get a professional appraisal as it could be valuable enough to insure.
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Welcome to the forms Kimbe.
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I attached the back photo. It weighs 235.301 grams. No markings for artist or silver. It is real sterling silver and Turquoise.
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Ebay Sold listings is the best way to determine the range of what people actually pay for a squash blossom like this. A very large number of similar necklaces were made and are for sale now at sites. It’s very easy to browse and find something like yours and see the results.
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