The beads are obviously old and handmade. The sterling pendant is not stamped or signed, and has a ding that shows on both sides. Although it’s silver overlay in Hopi style, the image isn’t something I have seen in Hopi jewelry. Curious what you think about origin and value?
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Hi Conni. The beads are machine made, and modern era. The master for the pendant might have been Navajo made (impossible to know), but there are surface features like inclusions, micro fractures, porosity, and impressions from the sprue on the back which are strong indicators that the pendant is a machine casting from a handmade master. The setting looks like ready made milled sawtooth bezel strip, and is hand soldered to the pendant. The coral appears to be natural. I would not call this piece Native American made, although it may well be Native American crafted/assembled.
This is a manufactured piece, where many items of the same type are cast, assembled, and strung for commercial sale and distribution. There are likely a number of identical or nearly identical pieces from the same set of molds in circulation.
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Thanks so much! Good to know. I’m assuming it’s probably worth about what I paid for it, which was $75.
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Easily worth twice that or more at retail. $225 would be a fair retail price.
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Wow! Even a manufactured piece? It is pretty though.
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Manufactured doesn’t necessarily mean inexpensive. Most wedding rings are manufactured. Most fine jewelry is manufactured. Aside from our handmade native jewelry, most of us own lots of manufactured stuff that costs plenty. Good hand made jewelry does come at a premium, but there’s plenty of handmade stuff out there that brings next to nothing as well.
Collectors of SW and native jewelry currently enjoy a buyers market where prices largely remain frozen at pre 2000 levels despite materials values skyrocketing 500 percent and more. Nothing lasts forever, and todays value pricing will eventually give way to fair market values which are many multiples of current prices.
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K, that makes sense. As far as jewelry is concerned, most of what I own is Native American; even my wedding band is native. I did not mean to sound condescending. My husband works at a GM truck manufacturing plant, and we all know trucks aren’t cheap 
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I almost used trucks as an example! 
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That’s too funny. And dang, the fancy ones cost more than our first house. And yet we each drive a Chevy Cruze 
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Great mileage! My kind of car.
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Off topic, but Chevy Cruze is a great little car! We had a Prius rental once that developed problems, and they replaced it with a Cruze— we Loved that car! Zippy and fun to drive!
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Wow. That makes me feel pretty good about it! 
I thought it was a good deal at the time ! Thanks so much 
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I was watching a video where Navajo Reggie Mitchell and his son Bronson were being interviewed about their work. It reminded me of this discussion from a couple months ago. One of them mentioned that some stones they purchased last year have now doubled in price. I know we all like to get a good deal, myself included, but I’m not disappointed if native artists are making more for what they do. I don’t want to ever forget how much work and effort goes into making this art. I admit, sometimes I cringe when I hear people discussing the cost of Native American art. I understand when someone says they can’t always afford it (raise my hand here), but that’s different than people I’ve known who are shocked at how much it costs, because they don’t have a clue about what goes into it. Maybe that’s because I live in an area where it’s not seen very often.
And as we all know, sometimes getting that “good deal” just means it’s not what it’s advertised to be.
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