Help with NATIVE AMERICAN INDIAN old CUFF Bracelet OPENS + HIDDEN COMPARTMENT

[gem4]

Hi,
I would like to know if what this native American bracelet was used for. The front opens up and has a hidden storage compartment. It is missing some turquoise and one claw and I would like to have it restored, but was wondering if it would be worth the cost of fixing. The man I purchased it from said it was a medicine mans bracelet. Any help would be appreciated.

 

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[Hitndahed]

Man I LOVE that !!!
In my book this piece rates up there with those squash blossom necklaces.
Not the newer ones, but the big, old chunky ones with the horse shoe shaped pendant.
In the case of the compartment I would say it was used for some secret herb or material used in his rituals.
Such as a smoke or flame flash,,for effect.

 

[Bquamb]

Probably the coolest bracelette I have ever soon. Love the turquoise

 

[bradyboy]

what makes you think its native American?
Any markings ?
IMO looks modern
I spend a lot of time in NM and see all the jewelry they make
Seems very over the top to be old
IMO
Brady

 

[huntsman53]

You can likely find a somewhat matching Turquoise piece on eBay that can be ground down, polished and set where the missing piece was. Also, you might possibly find a faux Claw or three replacement faux claws on eBay or elsewhere online to replace all three if needed. If the claws are genuine bird of prey or from a protected animal and you don't have any documentation on the piece (who made it and when), then you don't want to try to sell the bracelet with them in there as you risk spending time in prison. I have a lot of Peace Pipes made by some Cherokee Indians in the 1980's or early 1990's that came out of a storage unit when the contents were sold at auction. I can't sell them as I have no documentation on them and they are made of Deer antlers and bird feathers, some of which are from birds of prey and I also have one that was made using a Eastern Diamond Back Rattle Snake and Deer antlers.


Frank

 

[DJoyce]

Wow, I'm impressed

 

[2Minnesota]

what makes you think its native American?
Any markings ?
IMO looks modern
I spend a lot of time in NM and see all the jewelry they make
Seems very over the top to be old
IMO
Brady

There are many Native American silversmiths designing one of a kind pieces still today.

The bracelet is very neat! Is there any markings on the underside? Some makers will sign the piece or use a pictorial stamp as their makers mark. They use it to hide their "medicine".

 

[austin]

It is Navajo. The storage area is for one of three things. Corn pollen to bless Dawn Boy, the man's personal medicine pouch which would contain the pollen or a place to keep your personal fetish piece. If it was a medicine man's piece, it may have contained herbs too. It is a special piece. Made by a good artist and used in special ceremonies as well as daily use. Heavy silver. Navajo's don't have "medicine men" per se, but rather Hatali (singers that perform curing ceremonials). They also treat people. I am not an expert, just a devotee. Age of the piece? Don't know where you are, but if in the SW, talk to a trading post person or a retail Native American jewelry store. I think the turquoise is Kingman, but I gave my book away. Expensive and very rare piece. Have it repaired... Maybe 1950's or 1960's. Just don't know.

 

[MRBeyer]

Brett Burton, son of Ed Burton passed on some info on Navajo silversmithy. Ed Burton was the first Native American jewelry jobber and according to Brett, was vital in getting the native american silversmiths off the side of the road, into jewelry stores, and into hallmarking. According to Brett, the Navajos, Hopi, and Zuni worked their stories onto leather and pottery before being enslaved by the spanish to work in the silver mines. There they learned silversmithy and started writing their stories into metal. The larger and more elaborate the piece the more fantastic the story. The squash blossom necklaces are female side of the stories about family and heredity, the rings, bracelets, and some necklaces are the mens stories. Think of grandpa sitting down to tell one of his stories when you went to visit, the NA traditions of passing on stories worked well with this method. Before the hallmarking with the sales being inconsistent, often the native american's would hock the jewelry to make ends meet which is where the name old pawn came from. Newer pieces being hallmarked are called signed (of course you probably knew most of this). Not all hallmarks are registered, even for the more famous and collectible artists. Sometimes they will have several hallmarks with only some recognized or registered. IMO I am thinking the hidden compartment contained his medicine bag items. This is a very rare piece. If you can look up Brett he goes under hannabisbret on Ebay. He can give you a very accurate estimate of its price. Sorry, he moved and I no longer have his contact info.

 

[tamrock]

I'm kind of with BradyBoy on this. I to have spent a fare amount of time in New Mexico and looked at a lot of Turquoise jewelry in the big pawn shops of Gallup, Santa Fe and Albuquerque and other places in Arizona over the years and a few dealers I've come across have schooled me some on what I should be keeping an eye out for. The bracelet to me has so many element that don't look Native American made IMO. Even the Turquoise looks a little funny. I'd say it's something made in Asia, India or the Middle East ?? I could very well be wrong on this, so that just my first thought about it. It just doesn't look like anything I've seen before. Most the big outlets along I40 in New Mexico are now owned by Arabs these days and they stock the stores with import jewelry from their connections for better profits.

 

[Clay Diggins]

I'm not seeing Native American or old here. I was in the business for many years and this is much more like a relatively modern inexpensive Tibetan or Indian piece than anything Native American. It's certainly doesn't resemble Navajo work.

The chain work around the Turquoise settings is modern factory made bezel strip but it's sterling (925) - not fine silver (999) like an American made piece would be from the modern era. Factory made bezel wasn't used in pre modern Native American Jewelery.

The claws are from a cat - not a bear as used in later Navajo and 70's hippy turquoise/silver work. Cat claws are very much an Asian indication and tradition. The red tone dye on the claw is also very Asian.

The low temp wire solder work is also a clue. The etching from the lead content of the silver solder isn't seen in America except on very amateur hobby silversmithing. The latch itself is very reminiscent of inexpensive Tibetan jewelry.

The bracelet isn't a cuff form at all. Cuff form Native American bracelets are an ornamental evolutionary form of the Ketoh - no archer could conceivably use a bracelet of this design.

The bracelet is composed of several different pieces. It was not "designed" in this form. The rough filework to create the loose fit of the lid of the compartment is a good indication as well as the attachment of the roughly modified flatwork mounts on the ends of the compartment. The cat claws were clearly cut from another piece and soldered over the top of the three mismatched Turquoise side mounts.

Jewelry that is assembled from many other pieces is very common in inexpensive Tibetan and Indian jewelry, it's virtually unknown in American native designed jewelry with the exception of fine Zuni petit point jewelry work - this piece doesn't resemble Zuni jewelry in any respect.

Hallmarks were used fairly early in Native American silversmithing. I think the first use was by Bae-ie-schluch-aichin of the "Slim" family in the 1880's. Hallmarks are found on nearly all serious Navajo jewelry. Lack of a hallmark doesn't mean the piece isn't authentic but it does establish that the maker was probably little known. Known quality makers bring good values at auction. Unknown makers and poor work don't have much marketable value.

Just some points to consider when determining the value and origin of this type of jewelry.