Would appreciate your expert opinions on this please



Hello Turquoise People!

I purchased this piece online because it’s something I’ll wear, and I love how some of it looks imperfect, and old whether it is or not. I’m also really into the metaphysical aspects of stones, resins like amber, and shells, and I was looking for white mother of pearl in particular and found this lovely Naja, and it seemed to tick all the boxes for me.

I also got it for what I thought was a decent deal, but I’d like to see what some of you experts think about it. (Anyone have a window of what something like this would go for in a pawn shop in New Mexico)? I’d like to know if I REALLY got a good deal.

It was sold as being made between the 60’s and 70’s. Also it was said to be guaranteed sterling and sandcasted. The seller also offers to get authentication from a jeweler for an extra 40 bucks but I figured if they offered it then what they say must be true. Was I being naive?

There is no stamp, hallmark or mark on the back. To me it does appear to be sandcast. The Naja is 3 and 1/4 in length and 2 and 1/4th in width. A good large size, and that’s what I wanted.

The Navajo pearls are 26 inches in length. They are probably bench beads, that’s what’s usual, but most of the photos I didn’t post, blur on enlargement, however there are some areas on the beads that appear to me to be irregular and I can see a few lips at the holes as though they’ve been punched from the inside. When I do enlarge the other photos I have, I can faintly see what looks like file marks near the seams. Am I wishful thinking, perhaps?

I have no idea who the artist could be, but the feeling I get is that it is definitely Native American made.

I would be grateful for any assistance or information you can tell me to dispute or verify. Either way, I do love this piece and that’s what matters most, but of course, knowing I might be getting better at choosing better quality pieces would make me happy. :grin:

Well, theres always room to learn and grow and I welcome it!

Thanks ahead of time!

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Looks like a nice piece. We need to know what you paid in order to know if you got a great deal.

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It’s a beautiful necklace, and the MOP is unusual. I believe the naja is tufa cast, so I would think possible Navajo made. I am not good at determining if beads are handmade, so I will leave that up to others. I’m also not any kind of expert at determining age, but I would think 70’s as the decade is a good guess. And I have no clue on value, except that everything has gone up in price :laughing:

I bet it’s fun to wear!

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@StevesTrail thank you for taking a look. All together with tax and shipping, it was three hundred, two dollars and some odd cents. I am now thinking that I got a really good deal, because with some more research, I’ve seen the Navaho tears of less length by themselves go for more. And Naja’s of smaller size with no chains being sold for much more. However, I dont know how much of a good deal I got, because I can’t seem to find another Naja like this one, in size or age.

If you or anyone might be able to tell me what might be a window of prices where something like this would sell in a retail store in say, New Mexico, I’d be very appreciative, not because I’m ever going to resell it, but because I’m doing a lot of studying and research, trying to learn how to buy better online since I have limited mobility.

I thank you very much!

@Ziacat thank you so much for your help with this. I think the photos the seller took aren’t the best, so I was hoping his description was somewhat accurate, and I’m pleased that you agree with the timeline he gave.

I read some about Tufa casting, but I dont yet undersrand how you can tell the differnece between that and sandcast. So is Tufa a cast system that only the Navajo use? Still trying to learn. :upside_down_face:

I do know that the Navajo like to make big pieces. I have a big old turquoise and coral cuff that I’ll share at some point that I believe may be Navajo, but who knows. And I don’t mind being wrong. That’s how i learn. :grin:

As for the sterling beads on this necklace, it’s really hard to tell by photos alone, and I’m no expert. Just trying to look for signs I’ve learned about. I hope someone here with a better eye and more experience can give me their opinion on it.

Thanks so much again, and I’ll just be over here with a coffee, scrolling through all of your drool worthy posts! :grinning:

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Check out this thread…The Sandcast Thread Towards the beginning there’s a really good article on the difference. Hopefully that will help!

I don’t have any way of giving you an idea of what the cost might be from a store, because everything varies so much, and prices can be higher in stores, because of many reasons like overhead (plus you’re more likely to get accurate info about a piece from a good store). If it’s sterling silver and Navajo, I would think $300 is a good price.

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@Ziacat I literally just got done reading that thread and in it, you also linked a thread on what the difference is, and I made sure to read that one too.

How interesting! And you could be right about it possibly being tufa cast, since there are areas on the front of the Naja that don’t appear to be smooth either.

This is my first piece that is in any way casted, so that’s exciting for me. But the process of tufa casting seems like so much skill, love and heart would be inbued in the creation, it makes it all the more special! I can’t wait to wear it!

Thank you for the information, I appreciate you!

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I loooove tufa casted pieces! Sometimes they smooth out some of the texture, so that could be why your naja looks different on the front versus the back.

I forgot I linked one in there LOL

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@Ziacat now that I know how the Tufa casts are made, (thanks to you and the information here on the forum) I’m with you! I love :heart: it and I feel like if this is the case for my new Naja, I’m a very lucky lady! :smiling_face:

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I think you did very well. The round beads also look hand made. I have no experience with the others. All considered I think you paid approximately a third of what the shops would ask based on what I’ve been seeing.

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Thank you @StevesTrail , I really appreciate that.
This gives me some confirmation that all of the reading and researching I’ve been doing (and much that I’ve read on this wonderful and informative forum) is making a difference! :grin::+1:

My eyes are now learning what to look for and that’s a big, YAY!

I’m even more excited that you believe the Navajo pearls to be handmade. It will be my first. And again, just the thought of a Native American taking such time and care to handmake anything…it just makes me appreciate even more, the skill, time, love and heart put into their creations. :heart:

And for your opinion of me doing well in my purchase and me paying probably a third of what it would go for in a shop…well, that makes me feel very lucky, indeed!

So thank you, very much!

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I think this is a lovely piece and very unusual. I think what you paid was pretty fair, and probably less than what you would pay in a jewelry shop.

I find it a little suspect that the seller is offering supposed authentication for a fee. Unless they are meaning that they would get a jeweler to confirm that it is sterling silver and mother of pearl, which would not really be that difficult to ascertain fairly certainly. A jeweler or anyone else could not look at this and tell you definitively about any of its history, maker, or age, so I hope they were’nt trying to sell you “provenance”.

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Thank you @Xtina , I think so too, and I’m really happy with this purchase.

I didn’t get that feeling with this seller. I did purchase online, but before I did, we had quite a few messages between each other. He was the one that told me the approximate age of this piece based on his knowledge of the previous owner and what they told him. Of course, that can always be untrue or stories can be convoluted, but I’m glad I took the chance ti believe him.

As far as the authentication, every piece of jewelry that he was selling had the same offer. And, it was for anyone that had trepidation buying sight unseen online. Any seller can say anything and make any claims online. Buyers can feel more assured of the purchase when authentication of what a piece is listed as can be authentificated from a jeweler.

So even though the seller knows the material and has tested it for their own verification before they list any jewelry item, the offer for authentication from a jeweler was in the sellers description for every item of jewelry he listed.

He listed this piece as being sterling silver, sandcast, and made somewhere in the era of the 60’s and 70’s, althouth that part is based on the previous owner and couldn’t possibly be authenticated.

Either way, I’m happy that my eyes saw something worth more than what he was asking. And I’m extremely pleased that @Ziacat saw a Tufa cast instead of sandcast, and @StevesTrail verified that the Navajo pearls appear handmade. :grinning:

I think it’s beautiful and I cant wait to wear it! I’ll post some photos when it gets here, and thank you and everyone for all of the kindess and help. I’m really grateful. :slightly_smiling_face:

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