How can I tell if a Zuni fetish necklace is real or not? I didn’t know what I had until I bought it. I was going to cut it up for my mosaic and someone adviced me not to.
It can be difficult. We usually determine the authenticity by the material used and heishe it is strung on. If the fetishes are carved from fake material it is not a good sign, and this heishe is not what you usually find a Zuni artist using. The fetish material on this necklace looks real, but could be a Navajo made necklace. It is hard to determine from the picture. Sorry couldn’t be more help.
Jason
Thanks for your response. Is there somewhere I can send a picture? Does it have value if it is real?
You can send pictures on your reply. Our best guess is this is not Zuni. It will still have value but nothing like a Zuni made fetish necklace.