Hey , all these are a beautiful petit point or cluster earrings , they are signed p b tested sterling. I’m hoping to find a maker I d on these earrings.
I have found similar, Pamela Benally, Philena Byjoe, or vintage sante fe Peyote Bird.
Any help is greatly appreciated
all these items are signed PB <<<<<<<click
The PB hallmark has not been definitively attributed to a specific silversmith, so no maker attribution is being made
That’s just crazy!! Looking through those items, they don’t even look remotely similar to each other. So perhaps another case of imitations and fakes. I feel like we just had this discussion in another thread…deja vu.
We did, and they look counterfeit. Likely made in an offshore factory workshop like this one in Cebu Philippines:
ETA: Peyote Bird’s jewelry is made offshore, and they are quite public about this.
I see a few that look similar in style ans mark. I do not think these are fakes, those that look NA to me, cuffs and petit point earrings, are marked the same way.
Thanks for sharing these.
Because there is no known maker for these, you cannot assume they are any particular artist or tribe. Therefore if you’re selling them, you should simply call them Southwest style, or something like that. I highly suspect they’re fake/imitation, and we have had many discussions on here regarding this type of jewelry with block letter hallmarks that can’t be attributed to anyone. The fact that there are some similar items online on eBay or Etsy with the same hallmark does not prove they are Native made. If you had provenance from the actual artist or a legitimate well-respected store, that would be different.
You might want to read a recent thread regarding this particular issue. Kirk Smith?
I have found some evidence that there is a 925PB mark and i’m not sure in what order those should be from a company in santa fe who I think have been around since the 50s. Peyote bird santa fe. Are\nYou aware of anything like this? I see a mark similar on several of the pieces that were listed above.But I have no knowledge of this hallmark.
I also do think that there is a huge amount of inventory out there.That is southwestern style likely made in asia, and a lot of those pieces being sold as native american. They just are not enough native american artists to fulfill the amount of jewelry that’s being passed around right now.
Just trying to get some information.And I do feel like my earrings look n a, maybe.\nThey are maybe they are not.
I also know another distributor who sell pieces that they make and some of their artists do sign pieces , but they’re not attributed to an individual. These are new pieces and I did find one that was signed PB and is freaking spectacular.
925 is not generally used on Native American jewelry; it can be another red flag, especially when used alongside an unknown mark.
I personally wouldn’t trust anything with that mark. I suppose you could try to contact the Peyote Bird company, and see what they say, but I’ve never heard of them.
So you could contact them, and see if those earrings came from their store.
I finally had time to look in my Native American Silver and Southwestern Hallmarks book by Billy Hougart which is one of the most highly regarded sources for finding hallmarks. No such PB hallmark is listed. The two people you listed in your first post are not in the book at all. I highly suspect these earrings are imitation.
I dont think they claim to be NA, just talking about the marks. But they have been around for 50 years, I think they sell a mix of fashion and fine jewelry.
My earrings are not from this company, the earrings only have a signature no 925, but they do test sterling.
I think what I am suggesting is that not all hallmarks are registered, not all of the pieces in the link have the same hallmark, there are even variations in this with only a PB. I think that it is unfair to lump all of these pieces into the same category. They do have differences. And just because we don’t know who PB is. And etsy listing of a pair of earrings in nearly identical style, call out Pam Benally. Style is also important in id. I have a message out to the seller who stated they came from her personal collection.
Most of the work I find by Benally is cluster style.
Whatever the case, you cannot legally sell them as being by a particular Native artist, or even as being Native made, without provenance. And whether you like it or not, sellers on eBay and Etsy are consistently wrong with attributions; sometimes this is innocent, but often it is done quite deliberately simply to help sell an item.
There is a P. Benally listed in Hougart’s and a Pam Benally on another site, both with a COMPLETELY different hallmark (not PB). But I am not going to convince you otherwise, so have a great night.
Please allow me to be direct. You’ve come here seeking information from knowledgeable collectors, and experienced industry experts.
You’ve received an honest eye level assessment of the earrings you brought before the forum.
It’s clear you weren’t pleased with the answer, and that that doesn’t sit well with you. We can live with that.
For us, it’s more important that you understand what you have and how it’s appropriately represented.
Good luck to you
I couldn’t agree more. Even though I sometimes receive comments on my posted collectibles that I wasn’t hoping for, those are the ones I find truly valuable. The reason I joined this forum is to get feedback that offers real perspective.
Which is it, we’re experts or we’re shaming you?
What matters is that there are laws governing commerce in Native American goods, and real-life penalties up to and including jail time for fraud. Run the risk, or learn, or confirm origins, or just fault us for feedback.
I hope being a responsible seller means something to you.
Here is my 2 cents research:
About the Hallmark
.925 or “STERLING” stamps. [1, 2]Great catch, Stracci! Completely agree. You’re absolutely correct. This is another important detail for the seller to disclose to prospective buyers.
