Hello! I love turquoise jewelry but I am not very knowledgable about dating and turquoise types so I am very excited to find this group! I have two pieces that I would like your thoughts on.
The first is a squash blossom that I picked up at an estate sale. The beads are completely round so therefore not bench made. Do you think it is Native American made and the stones turquoise?
The second piece is a Naja necklace. The beads are seamed and the Naja has a lot of texture. What do you think of this piece and is the stone real? I would love to hear any other thoughts you may have on them. TIA for your help!
Welcome to the forum. The beads of the squash blossom appears to have vertical seams which would indicate not silver but probably plated. The necklace with the Naja has bench beads and the Naja itself is cast which gives that rougher texture. Pretty piece of turquoise with a nice bezel.
Have you tested the metal?
Thank you! I love seeing everyone turquoise and am exited to learn more about it. The squash blossom did not test for sterling. Do you have any thoughts on whether the blossom is Native American made? I received the Naja the same day that I posted it so I have had it tested.
Welcome! You will learn a lot on this site. Love the naja. Yes, agree, the naja is sand or tufa cast. Stones look real, not sure about stabilization. If I had to guess on mines, I generally guess Kingman (unless something else stands out), because it’s so common. It looks like some of the stones on the squash are kind of nuggety shaped? The stone on the naja has a little bit of that Fox coloring though, so
Again, I would guess they are both native made, especially the naja piece, but I’m not an expert by any stretch.
Thank you you for sharing your thoughts on both pieces! The squash blossom does have nugget turquoise. I purchased the squash blossom at an estate sale, the price was too good to pass up. My 90 year old friend, who has a stunning collection, did not think it was Native American made so I want to get another opinion. Neither of us are able to identify turquoise which is fun to know. The variations of turquoise from mine to mine is very interesting!
I wouldn’t feel bad about being able to identify turquoise. Without provenance it is an educated guess at best. Some have distinctive characteristics that can give you a good idea but it’s still a guess. It’s fun to try though!
