Is this a Native American made piece? It has wires crudely knotted together to form the chain. It’s 21” and weighs 109g. Thank you for your help!!
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Anything is possible. I think of seamless beads not being Navajo Handmade. I like this seller on who says
“Amazing look - the technique originated from the traditional Native American silversmithing.”
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Hugs through the Internet! I have the opportunity to return it and I am. I was in Gallup on my way home from California in June and stop by your store. Picked up a beautiful Aaron Anderson bracelet. Because of this forum I knew right where to go for my vacation souvenir. Thank you!
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Can we see the AA bracelet???
Sure, I love it because it fits my tiny wrist and it’s my first Aaron Anderson piece, I’ve always admired his work.
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Ditto on Jason’s take. We made beads by hand in my workshops. Technically, it’s possible to make perfect seamless beads, but the labor involved in doing so would be many multiples of that required to make traditional Navajo beads, making the cost completely prohibitive. Also, people want handmade beads to have the look and feel of “handmade”, so there really wouldn’t be a market for them.
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Hi MM!
I’m curious how the “dime” beads (mercury dimes, etc) are made.
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you tube video showing a hammered bead being created from start to finish
same general process using coins of all sizes
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Thank you for your knowledge!! I was lucky enough to be able to send them back.
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Great video! Thank you so much for sending it.
Wow that’s quite a process, I had no idea! thanks for that!
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Making beads from coins is done similarly to the process in the video. You must anneal before you dome the coins (and you have to make sure you’re using copper pennies, not copper plated zinc pennies). Add a hole on one side, assuming you don’t want your hole to go thru the middle of the coin & solder. I solder & finish mine a bit different from the video guy. Also, using a hydraulic press to form is much easier to get a rounder bead and preserves the image better than dapping it with a hammer. These are some beads I made a long time ago without my press - nice dome, but images are ‘smeared’ from dapping into shape.
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Steve’s linked video demonstrates the process very well, Tara. With dimes you’d want to use something like cottonwood, or iron hide as the dapping surface to preserve the detail in the dimes. The important thing is to use dapping tools and surfaces which are much softer than the silver so that the detail isn’t deformed in the process.
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That is a beautiful bracelet, Lbadbad.
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I have this beast of a necklace that weighs about 460 g I’m assuming it was made similar to the process in the video. It looks like some of the “dime beads” might’ve lost some of the detail though.
What do you think? I have a feeling it’s old.
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I would be very excited to have that necklace - tho the beads do look like they were made against their will - so to speak.
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Great necklace! It’s likely the dimes were worn to begin with. I’ve yet to see one where brand new silver dimes were used. People have always gravitated to the “worn” look, and your necklace definitely has the stuff, Tara.
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Yes you definitely have a great necklace. 
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Nice score. AA does incredible work!
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