My mother gave me this ring as a gift. From what I have seen on the internet I think it is Navajo, and would like to verify that it is authentic. There is also what appears to possibly be a hallmark on the inside band on one side. It looks more like a animal shaped blob. I tried lightening the photo I took to try and get more definition of the shape, but am hoping it looks familiar to someone on this site. Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.
Maybe try to angle the hallmark so that it is in the light rather than the shadow. Does it look like an eagle or a bell?
Ok. I think I got it a little better this time. Still not a lot of definition to it, but it looks like it was done intentionally and not a mistake by the silversmith… could be a bell, buffalo, no idea.
Much better. Looks like a soldering mark rather than a hallmark. If can you see a fine line on the revers of the mark then that would tell you it is a repair. if not it may just be a mistake. It is a nice piece though. It could be Mexican as well. The leaf work reminds me of some of the Mexican Southwestern items. Value on this I would only be guessing…between $30 and $75, depending on the ring size and the venue it would be sold in. I would defer to others with greater knowledge than mine however.
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No fine line on the other side - maybe just a mistake, then. Thank you so much for your information!
I have my own name for this style of ring, and I call them “Still Life” rings, because they remind me of how painters would arrange three apples or oranges in a bowl. In jewelry, it’s usually a piece of coral and a nuggetlike or carved piece of turquoise, a feather or leaf, and then some beads. Often there are three beads – looks like yours has two. The artist didn’t put one at the top of the ring.
When I see a ring like this, I look very carefully at the leaf or feather and at the ornamental beads placed between the elements.
Believe it or not, the way artists make leaves and beads can help with identifying someone in particular.
They are the difference between Dan Simplicio and Ben & Felicia Eustace and their family members and Frank Nuitama and other artists.
But each of the artists I’ve named fashioned their leaves & feathers completely different from this artist, whose feather/leaf looks more like a rough sketch meant to convey the spirit of the thing, rather than a concerted effort to abstract or it to depict its details.
Because the design was widely used, hard to guess on this one.
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Thank you. I appreciate your help!
I’ve learned more about the Zuni artists who worked in this style, and have compared leaves & stamped drops a lot.
I think OP’s ring is by Ray and Rosemary Nieto.
B&N Nastacio is another couple who are a good candidate, but I think this is Nieto work.