I purchased this squash blossom for my girlfriend and I’d like to learn more about it if anyone can help. The person I bought it from said they purchased it in the 70’s. Seems to have magnetic properties in some of the turquoise and none of the silver is magnetic. The only markings I see are the Cactus symbols near the clasp. Thank you
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Not unusual to find turquoise with magnetic properties. Alot of cabs are backed with Devcon or other backings that are magnetic. Nice squash.
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@Christibo Thanks for mentioning that. I scratched my head when I read the OP’s sentence about magnetic turquoise, lol. That’s a first for me.
Thanks for the insight. I’m thinking the turquoise is midgrade Bisbee or faded Morenci. Because one stone isn’t magnetic, I’m assuming either the backing isn’t magnetic or the cap was replaced and used non magnetic backing on that one. It doesn’t seem to match in quality and it has distinct cut marks. Passes the needle test though
Hmmm…I don’t believe turquoise “fades” in color. Natural turquoise can get darker over time as it is handled. These stones don’t have a Bisbee feel to me. Bisbee is a very uncommon turquoise (not a lot was mined), so this much of it would be unusual anyway. Regardless, it’s a lovely squash.
Always remember that without good provenance, trying to figure out a mine is simply educated guessing.
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This was very interesting to find out. I have a squash I purchased a while ago and the back is a bit magnetic. So I stuck it in a box thinking it was fake and just found it again while moving my office to my loft. I didn’t know how to test silver back then but I do now and it’s all sterling. I’m so glad I didn’t throw it out 
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Seems like many of the coolest pieces I’ve seen are unsigned. Is this generally due to the piece being a custom commission?
No. If you’d like to start building knowledge on Native American jewelry, there’s a vast library of books on the subject. Widely available secondhand, too.
https://forum.turquoisepeople.com/t/books-on-southwest-indian-jewelry/3871
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Greatly appreciate the resources!