Greetings, I just read this blog by Steve Begner / Turkey Mountain Traders. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum, but I think it would be nice to post blogs or documents that provide information of interest to us as lovers and collectors of Native America jewelry.
I’ll start with this blog about determining if a piece of jewelry is truly historically and artistically important. (Plus some jaw dropping jewelry they are offering for sale).
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I believe Ravenscry also posted this in a different thread, but it will be easier to find here, so I think it’s good in both places.
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@Bmpdvm I sort of went down a rabbit hole last night reading many of their blog articles. They were all excellent & very informative. Thennnn, I looked at the NA jewelry they offer for sale - Yowza!!
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I like Steve’s blogs. Turkey Mountain is a longtime source for me.
This blog entry reminds us of just how much caution is advised about supposedly old and valuable NA jewelry. A good friend and top collector has emphasized to me that the same materials, tools, and techniques are still available for a skilled person who wants to deceive. Wear is a big deal, and it’s not that easy to suss out honest vs. faked unless you’re really, really familiar.
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I agree @chicfarmer! But the hard part for me is the subtlety of some is the wear patterns, and as you say, it amazing how well it can be faked! So, I would always to depend on those, like Steve and others, who have a better eye and knowledge than I.
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At a time when values and interest in early Native jewelry are rising quickly, it’s well to bear in mind that what one hand can make, another hand can make.
While interest continues to grow, the immutable fact remains that only so much of the original jewelry that was made in the 1910’s, 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s still exists. Pieces still surface here and there, but realistically much of what still exists is already in circulation and in the hands of collectors and dealers.
The prices these items bring and their relative scarcity create a tremendous incentive for forgers to create works that are truly indistinguishable from originals. Everything from stamps, to alloys, to individual styles, working surfaces, to oxidation and wear can be duplicated by someone who really knows what they’re doing. Once items enter into commerce, there truly is no practical way to establish when, where, and by whom they’re made. Caveat Emptor.
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Outstanding points Mike. To add, without a verifiable provenance even reputable dealers can never be sure. Counterfeiting by skilled craftspeople has been going on for centuries.
I remember the authenticated Ming Dynasty vase that sold at a major auction house was later (probably with TL testing) found to be of the Qing period.
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