So I got a jeweler friend of mine to let me go through his silver and buy it for $1 a gram. This was the first piece I put in my little bucket. I had no idea what it was. I purchased $250 worth of silver and some other stuff. He is going to let me pick again next week This ring was $5.60. The Amber was yellowish color, so I have been rubbing it with my fingers to bring the color back. It’s a perfect size for my pinky
Just wanted to share.
@CyanideRose18
It’s beautiful! I love the flowers!
Do you think the designer was inspired by NA jewelry?
I also have a piece by N.E. From
I found this at a thrift store for 50 cents.
Never pass up Danish silver!
That’s an interesting question. In the 80’s one of my German customers who was deep in the Baltic Amber trade with retail stores in Luebeck, Kiel, and Flensburg (literally on the Danish border) sent his daughter over to apprentice as a silversmith in my workshop in Albuquerque. While there she learned technique from Navajo and Pueblo silversmiths working in my shop. I don’t recognize the hallmark, but elements in the ring look so much like Native American work I have to wonder if Anja passed some of what she’d learned in New Mexico on to Danish silversmiths in her area.
BTW, Amber can be re- polished to a glasslike finish, but it has to be done very carefully by someone who really knows what they’re doing.
ETA: Did a little research and it looks like NEFROM is Niels Erik From who was around a long time before Anja worked with me. Lovely piece!
Thanks so much Stracci That’s a gorgeous pin. Love that a lot. I have been into pins so much lately.
That’s a great question. It reminded me of Native American jewelry. So I grabbed it. The Amber looks to be attached to a silver disc. That’s floating kinda. It moves a bit when I rub it. I’m just happy that it fits my pinky. That never happens
Thanks so much mmrogers I thought about trying to polishing it but you know I like the patina
The oil from my fingers is making it look much better so I’m just gonna do that for now. I watched a video last night and you can see yourself in the Amber with a good polish. Thanks so much for the research info too.
Thank you for sharing your ring Rose. Now I find myself wondering if someone in Gallup in the late 60’s didn’t hand a piece of Niels Erik From’s work to a Navajo Silversmith, with the oft repeated query, “Can you make me something like this?”
As we all know, jewelry designs go 'round the world!
The naja design came to the Navajo from North Africa via the Spanish. Moghul jewelry design has been used heavily by French jewelry houses like Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels.
The Greek key design is featured in jewelry worldwide.
So no doubt, a Danish designer may have been inspired by NA jewelry!
It wouldn’t surprise me at all. I would love to find a Navajo ring with amber in it. I haven’t seen much of that. I guess that’s why I jumped on this ring. Amber is one of my fave stones Thanks so much again
That’s gorgeous Ziacat, now I want one I have quite a bit of Amber but nothing like that.
Interesting factoid about Amber set in NA and SW jewelry. Europeans often cut a hole behind the stone to let in more light which is helpful for (retail) display but which benefits are negated when the piece is worn, and light from behind is blocked. Americans often leave the backplate solid and put a piece of gold colored metallic foil behind the stone when it is set. This reflects the light entering from the front of the stone, and allows the translucent Amber to ‘glow’ as it does in the bracelet Ziacat posted above.
For sure, Navajo and Pueblo smiths were influenced by mid-century Modernism and Scandinavian jewelry trends.
Thanks a bunch That totally explains the silver plate attached to the little amber piece. I decided to take little paint brush and dip it in mineral and cover the stone with it. It looks so much better now. Thanks again
When you said you’d love to find some native jewelry with amber, a bell went off in my head. I put in “amber” in the search bar on this site, and a bunch of stuff came up. This one was my fav.
I just have a little cross with some Baltic amber in it. One of my skating students traveled to Poland, and brought it back for me.
Gosh, this has been really interesting. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge @mmrogers!
Thanks Ziacat, I’m gonna look that up now. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find a nice piece for sale. I’m going back to my friends shop again on Tuesday, so I’m going to focus on his rings and see what he has. No bracelet’s unfortunately but I’ll definitely keep checking Thanks again.
While we’re discussing amber, here are a few non- Native amber pieces.
I bought this pressed amber pendant from a friend. It has Polish assay marks. I love the unique chain.
And I made this ring 20 years ago when I was just learning to make jewelry. I bought the loose gem and dreamed up this ambitious setting.
It turned out ok, much to my surprise!
It turned out great. Really amazing pieces. Here are some piece I have in a tray in my office and some on a mannequin. I have tub somewhere, now that I think of it my hubby may have put it in the basement
@CyanideRose18
Beautiful! I love them all. Those chunky butterscotch beads are so yummy! And the faceted ones are killer!
Tell me about that bangle on the tray!
(I spy jade bangles and rubies too…but that’s another thread! Haha)
Thanks so much Stracci I found it at a little vintage shop at the rotunda in Maryland many years ago. It’s too big but I still wear it. I wore it to glow bowl once and the kids kept asking what kinda bracelet it was lol. I used to sell amber on Etsy but apparently a mother gave her baby amber beads to teeth on and the baby chocked, so Etsy deactivated all the amber listings. It was a silly trend for a while there and they purchased the necklace on Etsy and there was talk of being sued. Not sure how it all panned out.
Jadeite and nephrite is another one of my addictions, nephrite more than jadeite. I purchased an old Chinese cutlery chest that I found at and antique furniture place in Pennsylvania, moved around the divider a bit and now it’s storage for my fave jade and nephrite pieces. I also found two sterling knifes still in the chest when I got it home