This brooch belonged to my husband’s grandmother. She was from the Isleta Pueblo in NM.
I think it’s Zuni, but I dont know for sure.
I think it’s old, but I don’t know that for sure either.
What do you guys think about age and origin?
I know the pin mechanism probably dates 1930+.
Could it be that old? Did the Zuni make this style that long ago?
Any insight would be appreciated.
I’m a little afraid to wear it, because I had to remove and tighten some of the stones.
There was a red/pink crumbly stuff under the stones. I don’t know what that substance could’ve been. Adding to the mystery.
@Stracci This is such a lovely turquoise pin. What a special treasure to pass down through family! I’m uncertain about the pin’s closure mechanism being from the '30s. What makes you consider the mechanism could be from the 1930s? Is the pin sterling? My guess on age: '40s - early '50s . The 4th photo is wonderful.
@Stracci Thank you for posting this graphic. Sorry, I misunderstood your comment. I thought you were expressing that the pin may be an antique due to the closure. When, in actuality, the 1930s ushered in the “modern safety catch”.
@Patina
I have some antique brooches with the tube hinge, and they are easy to identify.
Of course this pin doesn’t have that feature.
But anyway, 1940s or 50s would make sense.
Thanks for your input!
My husband said she used to wear this pin often!
@Stracci. I think if the pin were older than say, 70s -80s, we’d likely see a lot more discoloration in the stones. It’s unsigned so probably pre-dates electric vibratory engravers which came into common use in the mid - late 70s.
Zunis use all kinds of stuff underneath the stones as filler material, basically whatever works and is available. Toilet paper is a popular and somewhat surprising material I saw used fairly commonly . Have also seen cut up match book covers used under larger stones. If the color is red, brown, or green and it’s crumbly, it could be dopping wax, which would make sense because it’s very hard when it cools down, and any excess would buff away from the surface during the finishing process.
Thanks for the info Mike.
My husband remembers seeing her wear this when he was a kid in the late 60s and early 70s.
(I keep forgetting how long ago the 70s were.)
So your time frame could be accurate.
The red material under the stones looked almost like old, darkened dried up pencil eraser to me. I’ve also seen thin cardboard under turquoise in some vintage pieces, like you stated.
Pencil eraser, lol! Haven’t seen that one yet, but why not? The elasticity would certainly be helpful, and its certainly durable enough. I imagine if you work with a razor blade or Exacto knife, you could get shavings fine enough to use as filler.
Also noteable is the use of multiple pieces of sheet for the backplate. You see this a lot with authentic Zuni jewelry, where there’s not quite enough sheet in one piece for the project, so multiple pieces are fitted and soldered together the get to the surface area needed for the piece.
IMHO I’ve seen a lot of vintage pins for sale from different eras. They used to be sold by the 100. I still have some that date to the early 20th century I inherited from my jeweler friend. So depending what someone had on hand, it might not be a positive indicator by itself. I would be more inclined to rely on Mike’s interpretation of age based on style and design.
@mmrogers In your last paragraph, are you referring to what looks like add-ons (see 3rd photo) at the top & bottom of the pin? I’ve seen this a few times in rings & pins and, I’ve always steered clear of them. I thought maybe something might be wrong with the item .
Nothing wrong with the items, really. This was/is a common practice in Zuni. The nearest supply house is/was 35 miles away in Gallup, so you couldn’t just hop in your car (if you had one), or walk down the street to pick up the materials you might be short on.
Bear in mind as well that starting in the late 60s a cartel of sorts of arab traders moved in to the pueblo, and there was constant downward pressure on pricing at the individual craftsperson’s level, so even though merchants were prospering at that time, money was extremely tight in the pueblo, and every spare bit of silver scrap that could be used, was used.
I agree with ground up dopping wax used as a filler/cushion between the stone and setting. Remember some Navajo artists saving the used dopping wax for that purpose.
It was a good substitute for actually backing stones with the black stuff. Sorry, I forgot the name of the black stuff that was common in the 1980’s.
Many people have become really successful with Youtube videos. I’m not sure if it’s still valid but some years ago content creators where approached by Youtube when they reached 50,000 views on all videos. “Wage” was about $1 per 500 views. I think Youtube has reduced the wages but it’s still quite lucrative.
Or a book, which might be more appropriate for use cases with a smaller group of interested people. The belt book was about $80.
Or online learning via Udemy (have used them quite often), Udacity, Coursera etc. where people can learn from a trainer, progressing in their own chosen speed.
Just a thought.
Great info Mike! I’ve noticed that several of my Zuni brooches do show the use of more than one sheet for the backplate. Your explanation makes sense! Do you know If Navajos also used this technique; makes sense they would. I’m wondering if this fact can be used to approximate dates, or if it was used off and on over the millennia (ha!). You get my point😄
. The 4th photo is wonderful.
