Hello, new to the forum.
I recently bought from an antique shop in my city in France this ring. It’s silver (has been stamped with French hallmark for foreign silver objects of unknown orign), and as far as I was able to ascertain, the turquoise is real (stabilized most probably but I’m not enough of an expert for that) on the back of the bezel plate it is signed BNL 81-7 on one side and CHEROKEE on the other. The markings have been made by hand. I have no idea if it is genuine Native jewerly or no, and I couldn’t find anything about the markings.
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So pretty. Welcome to the forums @Theotihuacan : )
Some of these markings could be seller’s codes, price, date, etc.
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@Theotihuacan Welcome! I like your ring. In my opinion, it looks like turquoise with a small quartz inclusion. I’m leaning toward it being artisan made and not necessarily Native American. I honestly don’t know what the “Cherokee” scripted on the reverse means for this ring. “BNL” could possibly be the maker’s initials. Can’t help but wonder if 81-7 could mean July 1981 
.
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Hi! Thank you! Yes I also think that the numbers may be a date, as you said july 1981 (or 1881 maybe? But highly unlikely). As it uses the US format it would mean that most probably the ring comes from there.
Oh yes I was wondering what the translucent white bits may be, and now that you says it, it’s true it does looks like quartz.
I tried to search for the BNL mark but it does not seems to appear in any of the few databases for Native artists hallmarks, so I’l keep wondering haha. But yes I think it is likely the artisan mark.
Thank you for the info!
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Thank you! Yes, I like it very much even if the turquoise may not particulary be a high grade one.
I think the numbers are indeed a date, maybe the year and month of making.
It is the fact that it is not stamped and someone just decided to cisel it all by hand that surprises me.
Pretty turquoise ring! I also like the unusual band. I wonder if the maker could have been Cherokee, or if it was made in Cherokee, NC.
Welcome! Most of my husband’s family emigrated here (the states) several generations ago from France.
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Thank you!
Why do you say the band is unusual?
Haha maybe you’re right, Cherokee may refer to the city, I didn’t even know there was a city named like that
In the case it was made by a native artist, is it common for them to engrave their name by hand in lieu of a hallmark? Because of all the example of hallmarks I saw in databases, they were stamped and not hand carved. I have also a cuff by Zuni artist C.Dishta and the name and hallmark is stamped not hand carved.
No, it is not common for the hallmark to be engraved, but a I think a few Zuni artists do (although this is not Zuni). I lean towards thinking the letters and numbers are probably initials and date put on by an owner, or could be a trader’s code. But the CHEROKEE puzzles me; why use that word unless it has meaning? Cherokee, North Carolina is a town just across the border from TN by Great Smokey Mountain National Park. Maybe that was engraved by a previous owner also. But I am just speculating!
Regarding the band, I meant it’s unique, not just plain and smooth. I love it when an artist does something a little extra special like that!
There is another Cherokee reservation in OK, but I don’t think another town by that name.
Yes, the CHEROKEE parts is what also left me wondering, and (in addition to the initials) the reason I thought in the first place it may have been a piece by a native american artist. But alas, it may not be. In any case I like it very much, and I find the turquoise quite beautiful even if not so high-grade.
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Could still be native, has a Navajo look, but with the writing on the back who knows. Whatever the case, it’s really pretty.
We recently had a discussion about this; if the turquoise is pretty and you like it, that is what matters! Most turquoise is not high grade. High grade is rare and very expensive.
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Cherokee is a tourist town in North Carolina, but it is also a city that has a lot of Native American presence and business. I have certainly seen plenty of traditional Native American jewelry there for sale. I wonder if this is where it was bought, or where the maker lived (or if they were Cherokee Indian). Otherwise, I don’t really see why this would have been engraved on the back unless it had some significance.
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I bought a cuff at one of the shops there! And it is Cherokee made, but looks quite Navajo (has some chip inlay).
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Yes it would make little sense to just engrave “Cherokee” without it having a meaning. Thank you for the indsight!
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