How many people are interested in Fred Harvey era items? I find myself collecting those plus actual Native-made items. I think people who start out with Harvey items may not know the difference but will learn eventually. I just got the book, 'Fred Harvey Jewelry 1900-1955" By Dennis June and it looks to be packed with info.
Hi! I’m pretty new here…
One of my first turquoise pieces was a heavily stamped Fred Harvey style (repro?) bracelet back in the mid 80s when I was about 10 yrs old or so. The funny thing is that my parents bought it from a booth at an “Indian Powwow” in Iowa. I wish I still had that little bracelet even though it was not real silver and I am pretty sure the 3 turquoise cabs were either stabilized turquoise or some type of resin?
Many years later I purchased a ring (with a hanging bell hallmark) on ebay or etsy that reminded me of that bracelet. I was curious about the hallmark and started researching Bell / Sunbell company, Fred Harvey turquoise jewelry and then Native American turquoise jewelry. That then awoke the desire to collect true Native American pieces. After I started collecting genuine Native American pieces, I realized the differences between “Native style”, Fred Harvey style, true Fred Harvey and the true Native American pieces. So for me, a couple Harvey style pieces did serve as a gateway into the “real stuff”. 
As a side note, I foolishly sold that Bell ring for $10 -$12 dollars on Etsy. I have seen the same ring with the hanging bell hallmark for more than $50 now!
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Is there an easy way to tell the difference between repros & the real FH items?
I have never heard of repros but I bet @Bigbree43 knows the answer.
Sorry, my short hand for reproductions!
I understand but this is something I didn’t know about. So it will be interesting to see what Bree has to say. She has in-depth knowledge about various things and imitation/fakes is one of them.
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I will say that I have bought my share of Fred Harvey reproductions, and they weren’t cheap either! A lot of the FH repros can still be native made, and they can still hold a good amount of value. It’s hard to distinguish an original from a repro, but my best advice would be to look at that turquoise. This thunderbird cuff is an FH repro that I thought was an original. Even though the patina looks original, notice how the turquoise hasn’t turned that “greasy green” color that you normally see on most FH pieces. I think this is a vintage repro from the 90’s or so:
Another thing that helps distinguish a repro from a genuine is the patina and the finish. Most FH pieces are nearing 100 years old now. So assuming a piece hasn’t been cleaned, we should expect to see lots of patina in the crevices of a piece of jewelry, but very little patina on the high points. The newer ones will have an artificial patina that’s pretty consistent throughout the whole piece. This FH cuff is a repro I purchased for $100. I feel like the patina is the same throughout, and for a cuff that would supposedly be made before 1940, there is absolutely not a scratch on it:
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Thanks for posting those, Bree. I have a whirling log Harvey-esque piece ive always wondered about. Similar config to yours, but more patina and signs of wear. Thoughts?
The last pic is a little blurry, but the cones are pressed from the back, not applied. The logs appear to be applied, like yours.
I also just noticed my logs spin the opposite direction of yours!