Kakiki, worth repairing?

Missing one claw. I work at the jewelry department of a charity thrift store and am wondering whether this piece is worth fixing and what I might charge for it. I read as much as I could find about Kakiki (not much) and didn’t find another piece with scrimshaw!

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It is an interesting piece, I don’t know if you would find someone interested in wearing in the present condition? I am assuming the piece was gifted to the charity. It looks like you just need a bear claw. If you find a retailer online and give them a picture along with dimensions they should be able to match you up something close. Should be minimal cost, especially for what you might be able to sell such an interesting piece for.

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Wow! What a unique piece. Can you post a closer pic of the scrimshaw?

I think it should definitely be repaired! It can always be sold in the present condition, but 1. You would not be able to ask as much money and 2. Your potential buyers are now narrowed down to ones who would have the means to fix it.

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It’s one of the more interesting items we’ve had donated in my 4 years of volunteering! Thanks for all your help and interest.

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I like how the scrimshaw is signed, it shows that the scrimshaw was created by one person and then set into the necklace by another. As to how old it is? My best guess would be circa 1960-1970’s. The silverwork in the feather dangle, and the frame around the scrimshaw make me think this. Also, The scrimshaw would have begun to turn yellow (patina) by now if it were an older piece of scrimshaw. This is a guess at best. I’m curious to see how old other forum users think it might be?

The turquoise looks to be mid-grade, nothing spectacular. The scrimshaw itself is also just average. You can google some old, Antique examples of fantastic scrimshaw and the difference in skills of the artists can clearly be seen.

If I had this piece in my shop, as-is, I would have it priced around $350-$375. If the bear claw was repaired, I would probably ask around $600-$700 for this. I feel like in some ways, we can price it comparably to a squash blossom necklace.

I am not entirely sure if this piece would appeal to Native American collectors (I’ve just never seen anything like it!) but it’s unique, and that’s what makes it special.

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Bigbree, thanks so much for all your help! I showed it to a few folks and even had a customer give me a donation towards repairing it! I’ll definitely be sending out photos and getting estimates.

I love this forum for all the generous sharing of info that would be nearly impossible to obtain any other way.

A2V

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What ever happened with this? did you get it?

Hello and good evening