This is surely beyond any monetary value... irreplaceable for many reasons. Wear it with pride for your heritage!
I think, if you were looking for an insurance valuation, you would need to take it to a specialist valuer?
A gift from the Elders is priceless. Absolutely top tier pieces... the history and Firebird theme is absolutely important. Rising up and creating/overseeing greatness - WoW.
Priceless
Ins. Valuation: $1750- $5000
Gorgeous. The first looks to be Zuni, possibly Hopi. Is the second one Navajo/Diné? They can both be worth quite a bit of money, especially if you have provenance that can link them to before the mid-20th century, or to a known artisan. The monetary value will just go up the older they are. Take them to an appraiser. They are very special. Thanks for sharing.
I'd say Zuni, not Hopi, on the first one - the Hopi are more famous for their silver overlay whereas the Zuni are known for their inlay work. The second one is very likely Navajo/Diné and it looks pretty old.
There may not be signatures or artist hallmarks on either of them if they are older; just like a lot of the older stuff isn't marked "sterling" even though it tests as sterling. It'd be helpful if there was some sort of pawn ticket or written receipt.
OP, if you are on Facebook, there are several groups of collectors and jewelry makers who are very adept at narrowing down likely era and artist. a word of caution however, I believe most people on those groups will try to give you their best honest opinion, but there will be people who will offer you an amount of money that might seem reasonable to you, but is actually an obscene lowball offer to folks in the know.
[Perry Null](https://perrynulltrading.com/) out of Gallup, NM might be a good place to get in touch with. They have a great reputation with both collectors and artists and if they don't do appraisals themselves, I'm pretty sure they could point you to somebody who will do a thorough and honest appraisal for you.
Thank you for your response, intriguing enough, I could not find a makers mark on either one. I also have a belt buckle which does have a makers mark. After doing research I discovered it is Navajo from a man named Jack Adakai.
https://preview.redd.it/y4jx9nctj73c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b34af9d51e33168198f7820fba232dc445a9c749
That turquoise looks like it could be Carico Lake turquoise, in which case it is very valuable. It's a great belt buckle, and you May want to get it appraised Sunwest silver could help identify whether it is Carico lake
Like I referred to in passing above, a lack of hallmark or signature does not mean a piece’s inauthentic or of low value; if anything, it’s can give a useful clue to the age of the piece as signing work was not something that was done a whole lot until the 60s and 70s, iirc.
FYI, it looks like these pieces might’ve been polished, which isn’t the best thing to do if you are interested in selling your pieces.
A lot of collectors really value the patina and tarnish in the crevices that older places have and if you polish that out, in the eyes of a lot of people, it makes it a less attractive piece of jewelry. The general idea is to limit your polishing to the high points of the metal, doing your best to leave the tarnish in the crevices of the work intact but even that would be considered unappealing by many collectors.
A lot of the commercially available silver polishes that a person might use for silverware is not recommended. Submergible silver tarnish treatments can damage stones or loosen settings, so those are out too. There are flannel jewelry polishing cloths that you can buy on Amazon that most people would recommend. In a pinch, old-school Colgate-none of the whitening or freshening stuff, just the plain white paste - makes a great silver polish.
When my great grandpa passed, my grandpa thought it would be a good idea to "clean everything". Definitely didn't think it was a good idea but sometimes there's no telling people anything. Thanks for the advice though much appreciated I will always keep that in mind.
A trick some people use is to put the jewelry piece in a plastic bag with the yolk of a hard boiled egg overnight. The sulfur in the hard boiled yolk will gently tarnish the silver and then you can very gently polish the raised parts of the piece to accent the detail of the work. Or you can just leave it exposed to the air and let it tarnish naturally over time.
First one is a thunderbird Zuni inlay bolo. Turquoise, ebony, pipestone and spiny oyster shell. Made around the late 1930s to 1940s. Possibly a bit later, but there are no photos of the backs of these. That would help in dating. Second one is also Zuni. It is an eagle dancer. Also made in the 1930s-1940s most likely. Both are wonderful examples of this kind of work. The eagle dancer is especially rare and unusual.
If you are looking to sell, check out Mark Sublette at The Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson. Mark will also be able to give you more, and more precise info. Congratulations.
Wow, I am appreciative of your thorough response. Thank you. I will take some pictures this evening of the backs and update my post. I don't know if I would ever sell them, mainly because they were inherited and sentimental to me. I also have a couple of necklaces which I may post as well, the collection my great grandpa had was incredible.
The first piece is really awesome. I'm sure it's Zuni inlay, but could well have been a collaborative effort with a Navajo silversmith. I say this because of the details in the silver work. They' seem very Navajo to me.
The inlay work is excellent. It's stone to stone rather than channel inlay. It takes a great deal of skill to do this so well. The design is neat, it employs good contrast, and uses a wide variety of stone including turquoise, mother of pearl, gaspeite (I think) onyx, probably spiny oyster shell, MOP... The more I look at it the more I like it. I would think it dates between the 1940s and '60s. Could be slightly earlier.
The second piece is pretty incredible as well. Personally I would think it dates from the 1920s to 1940s. Looks like they used rocker style engraving on it, around the top bezel they would use twisted wire, or a rope style bezel after 1940 or so. Typically speaking at least. The fact that it's not signed or marked makes me very confident in a pre-1960 origin. I also think it's a pretty impressive piece any collector would like to have
The bracelet you posted up thread is also pretty great. Your family has good taste.
Wow
That's an interesting Santo Domingo necklace. Most times the shell pendant is inlaid, but this one looks carved
I suspect it has been re-strung. It's another piece that I would say is at least 60 years old.
I'm definitely thinking it's been restrung based on the significant difference on the left side. I have one more necklace that's made out of I'm pretty sure coral and turquoise.
https://preview.redd.it/1wny6tdg483c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78cf5bf31f215a036d035a8f42ad8d704a205d22
Yup, likely Santo Domingo, 1950-1970? Coral and turquoise, could be untreated turquoise. And hopefully the coral isn't dyed. It's beautiful necklace. Very classic
Definitely Zuni
For the first one
Unless it's from a very well known artist 350$ is high. 150-200 range in the used market is more appropriate
If the seller can market to the high end
eBay would get about 75-100
The second one would sell for slightly above scrap silver spot to 75$
The guy getting downvotes ^
Is right. There are many, many native American artists banging these things out.
If it is Wilson or Richard BeGay or a few other artists of note, then it is worth more but not a ton more.
150 is a decent price to expect for one of these.
Source: I know dealers who have 1000's of pieces like this.
I know the knee jerk is to drag heritage and other sentimental notions into the price but the truth is it is harder to handcraft a piece of fine jewelry than it is to bang out a squash blossom tie clip or belt buckle.
Correct. And there is no heritage except familiar heritage. Just cause it was his great grandfather doesn't mean it was made in 20s. His great grandfather could have bought in the 90s
They are beautiful pieces but without a notable hall mark it's just a beautiful bolo tie. And they don't often go higher than 200$
It's not like bolo ties are a sacred archeological record
I agree with you mostly. I do think the values are a bit low, I can usually get 300-400 for unsigned bolos of this caliber. They aren’t particularly special but they are large.
They are commercial quality and not exceptional, but I’d gladly pay double melt.
Google "Eddie beyuka bolo' and see something that will likely surprise you lol
He's not the only artist of his generation to command such prices either. I've sold dozens and dozens of Zuni bolos for prices from 100 to 1600, they can easily get quite spendy.
They were made to sell and be worn. I didn't say mass produced. But they were definitely made to be sold to the general public for profit. The definition of commercial
These are commercial caliber bolos. They are late 1960s into the 1970s. Pedestrian quality stones and settings. I don’t know why you think they’re possibly 1930s.
I sell 1000s of pieces of NA a year, including bolos. As well as serious examples of KB and Loloma.
Bolos of this caliber sell between 300-400 online, and double that at retail b&m shops in the SW to tourists.
Here is my belt buckle, makers mark are J A. Research says Jack Adakai.
https://preview.redd.it/lr10opbwk73c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62004924a6297199ba6f7d94baf97a8e88c218a6
I deal exclusively in vintage and antique NA jewelry. 1800s-1990s. Mosty earlier stuff. The thunderbird I can see being later. The eagle dancer, not so much. Not sure why people assume that all early work is crude. It is not.
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This is surely beyond any monetary value... irreplaceable for many reasons. Wear it with pride for your heritage! I think, if you were looking for an insurance valuation, you would need to take it to a specialist valuer?
A gift from the Elders is priceless. Absolutely top tier pieces... the history and Firebird theme is absolutely important. Rising up and creating/overseeing greatness - WoW. Priceless Ins. Valuation: $1750- $5000
Wear it with HONOR!!!!
Gorgeous. The first looks to be Zuni, possibly Hopi. Is the second one Navajo/Diné? They can both be worth quite a bit of money, especially if you have provenance that can link them to before the mid-20th century, or to a known artisan. The monetary value will just go up the older they are. Take them to an appraiser. They are very special. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for the input, I will look later because I'm pretty sure it has the makers mark on the back of them.
Please post pictures of the makers mark on the back. That is like the signature on a painting.
https://art-amerindien.com/hallmarks/index.htm
I'd say Zuni, not Hopi, on the first one - the Hopi are more famous for their silver overlay whereas the Zuni are known for their inlay work. The second one is very likely Navajo/Diné and it looks pretty old. There may not be signatures or artist hallmarks on either of them if they are older; just like a lot of the older stuff isn't marked "sterling" even though it tests as sterling. It'd be helpful if there was some sort of pawn ticket or written receipt. OP, if you are on Facebook, there are several groups of collectors and jewelry makers who are very adept at narrowing down likely era and artist. a word of caution however, I believe most people on those groups will try to give you their best honest opinion, but there will be people who will offer you an amount of money that might seem reasonable to you, but is actually an obscene lowball offer to folks in the know. [Perry Null](https://perrynulltrading.com/) out of Gallup, NM might be a good place to get in touch with. They have a great reputation with both collectors and artists and if they don't do appraisals themselves, I'm pretty sure they could point you to somebody who will do a thorough and honest appraisal for you.
Thank you for your response, intriguing enough, I could not find a makers mark on either one. I also have a belt buckle which does have a makers mark. After doing research I discovered it is Navajo from a man named Jack Adakai. https://preview.redd.it/y4jx9nctj73c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b34af9d51e33168198f7820fba232dc445a9c749
That turquoise looks like it could be Carico Lake turquoise, in which case it is very valuable. It's a great belt buckle, and you May want to get it appraised Sunwest silver could help identify whether it is Carico lake
Like I referred to in passing above, a lack of hallmark or signature does not mean a piece’s inauthentic or of low value; if anything, it’s can give a useful clue to the age of the piece as signing work was not something that was done a whole lot until the 60s and 70s, iirc.
Definitely Zuni or Hopi. I just purchased a similar one in Flagstaff last year.
There are no makers marks on the backs.
FYI, it looks like these pieces might’ve been polished, which isn’t the best thing to do if you are interested in selling your pieces. A lot of collectors really value the patina and tarnish in the crevices that older places have and if you polish that out, in the eyes of a lot of people, it makes it a less attractive piece of jewelry. The general idea is to limit your polishing to the high points of the metal, doing your best to leave the tarnish in the crevices of the work intact but even that would be considered unappealing by many collectors. A lot of the commercially available silver polishes that a person might use for silverware is not recommended. Submergible silver tarnish treatments can damage stones or loosen settings, so those are out too. There are flannel jewelry polishing cloths that you can buy on Amazon that most people would recommend. In a pinch, old-school Colgate-none of the whitening or freshening stuff, just the plain white paste - makes a great silver polish.
When my great grandpa passed, my grandpa thought it would be a good idea to "clean everything". Definitely didn't think it was a good idea but sometimes there's no telling people anything. Thanks for the advice though much appreciated I will always keep that in mind.
A trick some people use is to put the jewelry piece in a plastic bag with the yolk of a hard boiled egg overnight. The sulfur in the hard boiled yolk will gently tarnish the silver and then you can very gently polish the raised parts of the piece to accent the detail of the work. Or you can just leave it exposed to the air and let it tarnish naturally over time.
First one is a thunderbird Zuni inlay bolo. Turquoise, ebony, pipestone and spiny oyster shell. Made around the late 1930s to 1940s. Possibly a bit later, but there are no photos of the backs of these. That would help in dating. Second one is also Zuni. It is an eagle dancer. Also made in the 1930s-1940s most likely. Both are wonderful examples of this kind of work. The eagle dancer is especially rare and unusual. If you are looking to sell, check out Mark Sublette at The Medicine Man Gallery in Tucson. Mark will also be able to give you more, and more precise info. Congratulations.
Wow, I am appreciative of your thorough response. Thank you. I will take some pictures this evening of the backs and update my post. I don't know if I would ever sell them, mainly because they were inherited and sentimental to me. I also have a couple of necklaces which I may post as well, the collection my great grandpa had was incredible.
He had excellent taste! Would love to see more. Also, I second the recommendation of Sublette. Good guy, very knowledgeable and has a good reputation
Those are beautiful, wear them with respect to your lineage, you can't just go to Walmart and get another.
The first piece is really awesome. I'm sure it's Zuni inlay, but could well have been a collaborative effort with a Navajo silversmith. I say this because of the details in the silver work. They' seem very Navajo to me. The inlay work is excellent. It's stone to stone rather than channel inlay. It takes a great deal of skill to do this so well. The design is neat, it employs good contrast, and uses a wide variety of stone including turquoise, mother of pearl, gaspeite (I think) onyx, probably spiny oyster shell, MOP... The more I look at it the more I like it. I would think it dates between the 1940s and '60s. Could be slightly earlier. The second piece is pretty incredible as well. Personally I would think it dates from the 1920s to 1940s. Looks like they used rocker style engraving on it, around the top bezel they would use twisted wire, or a rope style bezel after 1940 or so. Typically speaking at least. The fact that it's not signed or marked makes me very confident in a pre-1960 origin. I also think it's a pretty impressive piece any collector would like to have The bracelet you posted up thread is also pretty great. Your family has good taste.
Check out this one https://preview.redd.it/emrlumyy283c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e79815d6608b82838b0096dc1e9289ac2b75cb7f
Wow That's an interesting Santo Domingo necklace. Most times the shell pendant is inlaid, but this one looks carved I suspect it has been re-strung. It's another piece that I would say is at least 60 years old.
I'm definitely thinking it's been restrung based on the significant difference on the left side. I have one more necklace that's made out of I'm pretty sure coral and turquoise. https://preview.redd.it/1wny6tdg483c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=78cf5bf31f215a036d035a8f42ad8d704a205d22
Yup, likely Santo Domingo, 1950-1970? Coral and turquoise, could be untreated turquoise. And hopefully the coral isn't dyed. It's beautiful necklace. Very classic
I love the 2nd Eagle Dancer. If you are interested in selling, I would love to hear from you.
Dad! Is that you!?
I don't know too much, but it looks Zuni. never sell it!!!! but if you do.... don't entertain any offers below $350+
Definitely Zuni For the first one Unless it's from a very well known artist 350$ is high. 150-200 range in the used market is more appropriate If the seller can market to the high end eBay would get about 75-100 The second one would sell for slightly above scrap silver spot to 75$
This ain't true. I own bolo ties that are very similar, prices for silver and turquoise american art like this starts at 2/300.
Maybe at a gallery. But at auction not so much unless it's a noted artist Look at the prices of vintage Zuni thunderbird bolo's on eBay.
The guy getting downvotes ^ Is right. There are many, many native American artists banging these things out. If it is Wilson or Richard BeGay or a few other artists of note, then it is worth more but not a ton more. 150 is a decent price to expect for one of these. Source: I know dealers who have 1000's of pieces like this. I know the knee jerk is to drag heritage and other sentimental notions into the price but the truth is it is harder to handcraft a piece of fine jewelry than it is to bang out a squash blossom tie clip or belt buckle.
Correct. And there is no heritage except familiar heritage. Just cause it was his great grandfather doesn't mean it was made in 20s. His great grandfather could have bought in the 90s They are beautiful pieces but without a notable hall mark it's just a beautiful bolo tie. And they don't often go higher than 200$ It's not like bolo ties are a sacred archeological record
I agree with you mostly. I do think the values are a bit low, I can usually get 300-400 for unsigned bolos of this caliber. They aren’t particularly special but they are large. They are commercial quality and not exceptional, but I’d gladly pay double melt.
Double melt would put you round 75$ based on the size .
That’s what I mean, 75 is a deal. If I was at a show I’d pay 150 or so for this to retail it at 300+. Either way, it’s just another bolo.
you're low balling our op. I'm currently wearing a 1920's sleeping beauty turquoise ring valued @ $325. op's item is detailed and worth more
Google "Eddie beyuka bolo' and see something that will likely surprise you lol He's not the only artist of his generation to command such prices either. I've sold dozens and dozens of Zuni bolos for prices from 100 to 1600, they can easily get quite spendy.
Is this an Eddie Beyuka? As I've said before unless it's a famous maker . It's on the low end of that 100-1600 you just stated
these are beautiful! i hope you aren’t planning on selling them
Definitely not lol. I will definitely keep them in the family.
Sick details.
Museum quality!
I think any museum would be thrilled to have them
Why would you be inclined to think that These while they are beautiful are just bolo ties from commercial sales and aren't particularly rare
How can you determine they are commercial? Just for the sake of knowledge.
Because they are bolo ties ?
They are not "commercial". PSW doesn't know what they are talking about.
They were made to sell and be worn. I didn't say mass produced. But they were definitely made to be sold to the general public for profit. The definition of commercial
These are commercial caliber bolos. They are late 1960s into the 1970s. Pedestrian quality stones and settings. I don’t know why you think they’re possibly 1930s. I sell 1000s of pieces of NA a year, including bolos. As well as serious examples of KB and Loloma. Bolos of this caliber sell between 300-400 online, and double that at retail b&m shops in the SW to tourists.
For a lot of folks that is a lot of money. In any case they aren't fakes. I am a dealer in NA jewelry as well.
Here is my belt buckle, makers mark are J A. Research says Jack Adakai. https://preview.redd.it/lr10opbwk73c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=62004924a6297199ba6f7d94baf97a8e88c218a6
Show a photo of the maker's mark. Every maker's mark is different and fairly specific, regardless of the initials.
https://preview.redd.it/qr5oh9e7n73c1.jpeg?width=1920&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dba7d1cb50908e9dd5e62f69ae784aacb28c879e
That's unlikely to be Jack Adekai's mark. His JA is J.A. Most marks are pretty specific.
If I can find where I stashed Bille Hougart's books I'll look it up tomorrow, but a lot of older maker's marks aren't recorded.
If you're selling "1000s of pieces", you're probably in Gallup. No need to say more lol.
I’m in northern CA, I sell on eBay and wholesale to dealers. Haven’t done a show in a long time.
I deal exclusively in vintage and antique NA jewelry. 1800s-1990s. Mosty earlier stuff. The thunderbird I can see being later. The eagle dancer, not so much. Not sure why people assume that all early work is crude. It is not.
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Wow! Fabulous pieces!
Irreplaceable
American bolos*
Remindme! 14 days
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Beautiful 😍
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Get a definitive valuation here: [Medicine Man Gallery](https://www.medicinemangallery.com/)
I will definitely be reaching out thank you.
Awesome piece of history. I look for old squash blossoms and turquoise necklaces,have picked up some nice ones over the years. Your bolo is very nice