Featured Over my head... worth getting appraised?

I should prob start wearing those!

 

I worry that the fetish necklace is not actually native American. Upon closer inspection it appears that the shell heishi (the dark brown beads) are not even. Native American heishi beads are so well made that when you run your fingers down the strand it will feel like one solid strand. You should not feel or see uneven beads jutting out.

 

that's possible , but not conclusive.

 

WOW

 

Apologies for lousy pictures ... it is definitely choker length... did not know anything about it. Hubby remembers his mother wearing it alot

 

Apologies.. finally getting back to this.. been busy with work :-(

 

So much great information. Thank you so much everyone... going to spend this hot afternoon in the air conditioning... googling ;-)

 

As komokwa said, that’s only indicative of quality, not origin. It is a commercial tourist piece but I think the colors are very appealing.

 

I'm thinking like you are... Souvenir, as no signature etc... But I do like it too

 

Hi @Cheryl LBJ - Our local jeweler will do "undocumented" best guesstimates for about $50 an hour... a "bag and tag" I think he calls it. He has determined if and what caret gold and if it is a real stone for that. We took him 12 items for an estate appraisal... and it was $50. He also gave us an idea if we needed a "real" appraisal for something. Since my sister and I were just trying to divide things equitably - we only needed a "ball park" on many items. You can call your local jewelers and see if any of them offer that service.

We made an appointment and he did it while we waited. We took notes as he talked... it was a great fairly inexpensive way to realize if we had any thing that needed a "real" appraisal. You could divide up the "stuff" - into two categories - what YOU think is costume - and what YOU think may have some value. If he looks at the first lot and says at a glance that it is all costume - or maybe picks a couple items out of it to add to the second lot... it may solve a lot of questions for you.

PS. We had a LOT of jewelry to go through - 2 HUGE plastic tubs; including some very nice jewelry that had been my great-grands (circa 1880) - although there were only a few stones involved. She bought a "jeweler's scale" - and I had spent a lot of time previously "researching" similar items and given it a rough comparable value. Sis weighed everything and gave it the current "gold or silver" value. We then put the 2 prices (current scrap value and possible comparable value) together and decided on a reasonable value (neither one of us had chosen any items yet).

The few things that we couldn't value, were the things that we took to the jeweler. After he valuated those last dozen things...we laid everything out...and as eldest; it was determined that I should choose one item first. Then we took turns. Sometimes we put similar things together before a pick. We had previously decided that no matter WHO chose what; that we would sleep on our decision and start over in the morning if there was a disagreement OR if down the road; we felt that a decision was wrong that we'd discuss it. As we went, we did a "general running total" so that values came out similar. Since neither one of us planned to sell anything...we felt it was fair. I suppose that if one of us had wanted to sell an item chosen; that an agreement would have been made to offer it for "sale" to the other before really selling it. Items that neither of us wanted were offered to grand kids the same way and then cast offs were sold and the money went into the general estate sale coffer to be divided later.

LOL... in the end; there were only 5 non-jewelry items we couldn't decide how to divide. We had a few more boxes of "stuff" to divide (also non-jewelry) and decided to add those 5 to the lot. The next morning we decided we were both very happy with our jewelry choices and stuck with our plan.

She also had an idea re: the 5 items which both of us really liked - we had 3 boxes of used greeting cards from the late 1800's to about 1930... and she suggested that I keep the 5 items and she get the cards. I slept on it. Since she is a "graphic artist" by career; it seemed appropriate that she receive the cards - much as I LOVED them! So we made that arrangement.

I have worked in personal property appraisals for years... and I've seen how "sticky" and complicated dividing an estate can be. BOTH of us were determined to find an amiable division. We used a similar plan for the entire contents. A few items have gone back and forth... ultimately, I think we have both been happy with choices. I don't envy anyone trying to divide an estate... but I wish you lots of luck and hope that my suggestions might be beneficial to some of you.

Cheerio,
Leslie

 

THAT'S a GORGEOUS NECKLACE, AND a GORGEOUS chunk of change for it!!!!!!

 

More family fights have started over that stuff.... My sister and I divvied up most of the family jewelry at one point. She got most of it, since I never wore it anyway and only one of us has kids. (her)

 

I agree it’s absolutely beautiful. It is very hard to identify what is and isn’t native American when it comes to jewelry when there are so many fake pieces being sold and that have been sold since the 70’s. Especially pieces that are not signed. Even if they are signed the signature might be fake. But, it is important to know when trying to price, or if selling. And it is important to Native Americans who are having to compete with factory jewelry being falsely sold as native American. So you have to look for clues, like quality of workmanship, and materials. But, if you are not selling it and just want to wear it because you like it, then go for it!

 

IMO there is absolutely nothing wrong with selling it should the owner decide to do so as long as it’s not misrepresented which means it cannot he sold as Zuni but it can absolutely legally and morally be sold as a Southwestern Multicolor Shell Stone Fetish Necklace (assuming it is shell and stone).

Even when absolutely Zuni, fetishes were more often unsigned with rare exception and some of the great modern carvers like Peter and Dinah Gasper tag signed them. I’ve personally never owned one that was signed on the cone.

 

When my aunt passed away in 1986, she had my grandmother's jewelry. She never married, and one my other aunts went into the china closet after she died and stole some of it right in front of my sisters and me (she was going through the china closet and picking up china looking at it.) My father was livid because she stole my grandmother's heavy gold pocket watch. Fortunately, we kept most of the good jewelry with the costume jewelry in a jewelry box she missed. We gave the fine jewelry to my dad, and he allowed us three sisters to divide up the costume jewelry. I did get a pair of rose and white gold Persian turquoise earrings we all thought were costume. Nobody picked them after two rounds.

Fast forward from 1986 to 2008, when my dad passed away. As responsible as I was and as much as I loved jewelry, my dad left it all to my little sister. She was his favorite daughter because she looked just like my mother (very long story there, my mother left my father.) My sister has addiction issues, but my father didn't know that. I love her dearly, but everything she owns, including the house my father left her, slipped through her fingers. My aunt who passed away wore a rose gold and single ruby ring, and even my cousins asked me about it. I am sure it is gone now. But I always help my sister out, and in return, she offered me some of the jewelry. I have my grandmother's unheated lavender star sapphire diamond ring set in platinum and a rose gold watch chain.

I made my will out this summer due to the pandemic; my costume jewelry collection goes to my sister who gave me the jewelry. My safety deposit box and any other fine jewelry goes to my brother. It's best to lay it all out. My aunt had no will, and my dad left an unsigned, invalid will that we all honored.

 

Exactly why estate planning is so important.

 

Addiction... well, I hope the family jewelry ended up in the hands of another addict, a jool addict that is, who treasured it.