Hi, just bought this bracelet in a store in ABQ NM last week while travelling there. It was not cheap. The guy was native himself and told me it’s a vintage Zuni piece with natural sleeping beauty turquoise. Do you guys think it’s real or stabilized or not turquoise at all? The stones do seem to have some matrix and uneven texture but also very glossy and a bit greenish.
I also posted on Reddit and the folks there have a hard time identifying this as NA as they have never seen this particular inlay of stones and the design on the band. Am I screwed..? There is a hallmark of ‘RC’ and what seems to be a store hallmark but also unidentifiable from amerindien directory
@SurprisePurple Hi & Welcome ~ I checked my Bille Hougart’s book on “Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks” but I didn’t come across this specific hallmark. There’s a listing for a Pima artist with a “human figure” hallmark but, it doesn’t match yours. In my opinion, the cuff doesn’t look to be Native American made, let alone Zuni. For me, the design elements on the band are a giveaway. Without provenance on the turquoise, it’s really just a guess about the type. Also, I’m wondering if those cabs are glued in - kind of hard to tell from the photos. Just my 2 cents worth, though, I’m sure it’s not what you hoped to hear.
Thank you both I think at this point I’ve accepted the strong possibility that it’s not NA. What do you think about the turquoise themselves? Do they look real or stabilized or fake?
It’s from Warpath Traders, more specifically Warpath on the Plaza. It’s shocking as they even got on the news talking about how to avoid knock-off NA jewelry from Asia.
I went in there once, big place with lots of inventory, felt like it was a mix of real and imported knockoffs. Sorry they were so misleading. And, I’ve had native sellers lie to my face, also disappointing
