I bought this at an estate sale today. It is not stamped but with markings. There are what appears to be initials with a symbol over them. Having learned from this site how important patina is for dating a piece, I cleaned as little as I could for a better view of the artist’s signature. I believe it is turquoise and onyx and silver. I saw so many beautiful butterfly pins by several Native American artists. The shapes were as varied as the butterflies in nature. Does anyone know who made it, how old it is and the mine the turquoise might be from? Would this be Zuni ? Navajo? I am impressed by how the turquoise was laid into the onyx. What do you think it is worth? I bought it for my grand daughter. She and I used to observe the butterflies in my flower garden she was little. Thank you all. Have a wonderful weekend.
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Thank you Chris! I had not seen this information before. It is very informative.
I agree with you this pin looks very much like the one I got my grand daughter. The only difference is Zoe’s has turquoise head and onyx/jet body. I thought it was onyx but I’m not sure now. The last sentence in the article was very interesting. I had questioned myself if it could be Zuni, because the turquoise dots on the pin were not inlaid in silver but in the black stone itself. That would make perfect sense because it does allow the turquoise dots to show off their color and emphasizes the skills of the maker.
It was kind of you to take the time to write. You made my day!
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