Hi, I recently acquired this and a friend suggested it could be a Simplicio it is not hallmarked was wondering what the forum thought.
Idk who made it, but it sure is gorgeous
Actually I do think it may be by Dan Simplicio. It strongly resembles other squashes attributed to him, including one that was at auction by Hindman, who has good NA jewelry staffers. The others have cast repousse elements on the blossoms, but of course any necklace can be one of a kind. The particular kind of stamped raindrops with a raised center and fine radiating lines and the beaded bars seem right for him, as does the stamping on the inner curve of the naja.
Whoever created it, what a piece! Congrats!
So I looked up Dan Simplico. Most items on eBay say “attributed” to Dan Simplico. Did he not have a hallmark? And if not, how does one know someone didn’t faked his style? Just curious.
Gorgeous Squash Blossom!!
I always look at the bezel. The pieces that I have seen and you don’t have a heightened doubt about the provenance of the piece don’t have this serrated bezel. You also want to look at the pop of the piece.
Bezeling is a great tell. But while it’s true Dan had a more sinuous, irregular bezel style on many pieces, his known work does include the tighter-toothed bezel like in that squash. These shops, for ex., can be trusted to know what they’re listing:
He has a unique style and artistic eye & like Jason said, his pieces pop!
I went to a thrift shop the other day where I picked up this piece.
Do you know if it is NA and what turquoise it is? I am going back there tomorrow because when I was there, I noticed a tag on a piece of jewelry that said Simplico. So I must check it out. They also had gorgeous cuffs so I may take a picture to show you all.
He did. But some of his older pieces didn’t have it.
Edit: Sorry Steve, I see you posted his hallmark, my bad.
Much of the Dan work in circulation is unmarked, it seems to me. He’s very idiosyncratic, which often helps in making an attribution, but there are also near-misses sometimes ascribed to him, inc. work by his family members. Sometimes it’s entirely clear that a piece is by Dan Simplicio, for stylistic reasons or because it’s documented in the CG Wallace catalog or other provenance.
Thank You @chicfarmer. Do you think the Turquoise used in my piece could also indicate Dan Simplicios work? What are your thoughts on time frame? Appreciate your insight.
His lapidary work famously features a naturalistic approach to cabbing, leaving variation in the top surface (versus flattened). That said, some of his turquoise has relatively smooth vs. more convex or pebbly top surfaces.
Here’s a reputable seller with a DS pin showing turquoise shaped basically like yours, although with bezel work that’s more characteristic.
Jason is good on dating according to the nature of the silver beads, maybe he can weigh in.
There is one seller who uses “attributed” in many listings with no providence other that her opinion. She also uses words like “important” and “rare”. She is not well regarded by many.
Some Simplicio pieces are not marked. Additionally sellers are offering Carmela Simplicios (his wife) work as his work as it is stamped Simplicio.