Featured Silver buckle. American?

Purchased quite a few years ago. 4 inches long, 3 inches deep. Mark on back VL sterling. Cannot find a VL maker. Any help appreciated..

 

Pics seem faded, much brighter in real life.

 

That looks like a real claw. Bear? If so it's probably legit.

 

Looks like American Southwest turquoise belt buckle (possibly Navajo design) -- a photo of the "VL" would help, as an eastern hollowware maker in Brooklyn was "Victor Lollo" - but his initials were in a shield, and I can not find a buckle made by them.

 

Might be Virgil Leekya (Zuni), he used those little balls often enough, a photo of the mark would help confirm.

 

The only artist I could find with those initials was Virgil Leekya. He is a Zuni artist. You would have to look and see. He works with silver and turquoise. Sorry I didn't read the other posts while looking this up but that would explain the bear claw also.

 

A "VL" listed as unknown possibly not NA... https://www.art-amerindien.com/signature_indian_native_marks_tz.htm#v

Anyone with some silver smithing experience could have made it.

 

I would say it's legit NA made..

 

It is a beautiful buckle.

 

Bears claws have been easy to buy for many years except in California.
https://www.hideandfur.com/inventory/2735.html

 

Most shed/parking lot silversmiths don't use them though, and this looks to have some age on it.

 

I can only guess you weren't associated with the hobbyist community 30-40 years ago and the thousands of NA style pieces which were made.

 

Who's made more....hobbyists.....or the 1st Nations themselves !

for every one hobby made SW style silver...thing......there must be a thousand authentic items...........

 

Yes,and you don't know how many thousands of pieces came from the Philippines and Indonesia........... https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/native-american-indian-art-fake-forgery-hopi-zuni0/

 

no I don't ...but you don't give any credence what so ever to the vast,,,,huge.....multi billion dollar Southwest Indian Silver art market...that's been going strong for decade after decade , turning out millions of authentic...genuine...legit silver items......!!!

So , you say I didn't see it made...it could be a fake...

While I say....I've bought and sold & handled 1st Nations silver jewelry for over 30 years...... & in my opinion ...it's authentic...... " even though I was not there to see it made !!

 

40 years ago I was in 7th grade.(LOL)

 

spring chicken !!!

 

Sorry, I can't help with a close up of the mark at the moment. Believe it or not, I do not have a camera or a phone. If you look closeley at the second picture, you can just see the VL mark. It is upside down. It is just a plain VL in upper case letters.

 

Unidentified mark on the link provided. It is exactly identical. ( 03 VL? )

Thanks for the link. This was bought many years ago in Elgin, Scotland from a friends antique shop. No description or provenance. I just bought it on workmanship alone.

 

Hello komokwa. I just held a magnifying glass up to photo of the back of this buckle. If you look near the fetish you can see V Lee... There is also something underneath that I can't make out.