Hi there! I bought several pieces from an online auction that are beautifully handmade, stamped pieces. They are all marked LMN, some of them in a block print and some of them in cursive. Claude AI and other sources are telling me this is likely Leonard and Marian Nez, with the block print being from Leonard and the lowercase cursive print being from Marian. When I looked them up, their work is the only work that looks exactly like the pieces I have, even though none of these pieces have their typical hallmark on them. I’m wondering if anyone here has some insight for me. These are each substantial pieces of art, and I just don’t want to misrepresent them at all. Thank you for any help!
Hi & Welcome. You mentioned that you purchased these items from an online auction. What descriptive information about these pieces of jewelry was provided to the bidders? Did the online auction seller identify any of these hallmarks? Are you reselling this jewelry? I trust the resource that @Steve posted. Looks to me like the surname “Nez” was a standard part of Leonard & Marian’s hallmark. Since it’s not really a match to the hallmarks on your jewelry, I’d be leery about an attribution to Leonard & Marian Nez. Just my 2 cents worth.
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Thank you so much for responding, Steve! These are the exact marks I’ve been able to find as well, but I mentioned this in a Facebook group, and a lovely woman messaged me about it. She was confident all these pieces are from Leonard and Marian, because she knows them! She then texted Marian and asked if these were their pieces, and she said yes! They are apparently on their early work when they were first working together before they got their current stamps and before the big NYC galleries. Isn’t that crazy? I’m completely flabbergasted that someone who knows Marian was just able to reach out and ask. This sweet woman bought some of it from me.
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Please read my response to Steve, and I appreciate your response so much. I think I’m going to try to find them at the Santa Fe Indian market to ask them in person. I hope that will be OK.
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OK, I think I see what you’re showing me here, but would you mind explaining it to me? I am newer in the process of learning all this. Thank you!
Thank you. Even though she looked at the same photos and said they were their work before she used these stamps, I think you’re talking me into waiting until she can see it in person to really say if she/they did it or not. Your previous photos have me thinking someone might have been copying their work. Is that what you’re saying?
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I cannot find a single credible verifiable source showing the marks on your pieces to be the work of Leonard and Marian Nez.
the saw work on the necklace and cuff is underwhelming in my opinion
the ring is the nicest piece of the lot but it looks like it just cleared a customs hold, not a scratch or bit of tarnish on it, as opposed to the claim of early work from the 1990’s.
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To me it sounds like you are also doubting the authenticity of these pieces. Maybe the lady on Facebook was honest, maybe not. I think if you are going to sell them it wouldn’t be right to claim that it’s their work when the hallmarks are completely off. Talking with the artists directly at market (and showing them what you have) is the best plan. If you can’t speak to them there maybe they have a website where you can contact them.
There’s a lot of imitation jewelry being made at the expense of Native artists, and it can sometimes be hard from a picture to pick up on it.
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I saw this too. Looks like a botched repair. This type of repair can be done successfully with #70 or #75 high temp silver solder, but if done with something like #56 or #65 which melts and flows at a lower temp, an additional soldering operation with a solder of the same temp or higher will often melt and flow the lower temp solder used for the repair as well, pretty much completely undoing it. This is exactly what that looks like.
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