Posted 12 years ago
michelleam…
(59 items)
This was another piece from my Mothers Indian Collection. I have been told it was a Harvey piece from the 20's, when the Harvey girls were famous and wore these to promote tourist sales. I don't know if that is true, or hog-wash!! I was told you could clean silver with ashes, it works!! This had a more natural patina until I tried to clean it yesterday, but that patina will return. There was a ring that went with it, with the stones and whirling logs, I lost that golfing, and I don't golf, long and very sad story,(I loved that ring). Does anyone have any idea of the age or tribe this was made by? It has no stamps on the inside, but many classic Indian symbols which might imply a certain tribe. I would appreciate any help you can give me on this piece, Thank you, Michelle Amieux
I assume they are the green turqoise one finds deep in the earth, though I can't say for sure it's not an agate. I am pretty sure they are very old turqoise. I am so sorry I shined it before photographing, the patina really made all the metal stamps stand out!!
I don't know much at all about jewelry, and seldom wear any. However, I do recognize that this is exquisite, and if I owned this, I would be concentrating on assembling a stunning ensemble just so that I could wear this bracelet and be beautiful! It is something extraordinary! As for ashes, I didn't know that! How exciting! I love silver. Thank you, Michelle!!!
As I said, I had the matching ring but will cry f I think about it!! I have a fabulous Indian dark green turqoiuse and silver necklace, and a ring in green agate that is close enough that it works. I am the quintessential tomboy, and my #1 fashion question at my age is, "Can I nap in it?". I will wear my Mom and Grandma's old jewelry, if I do doll up. I am amazed by how well the ashes worked, but I really miss the patina that had formed, it really accented the stamps so well, made it look older and more elegant, I want my patine back!! But ashes work incredibly to clean silver, I was shocked at how good. I've been buying expensive de-tarnishers, when the whole time all I had to do was raid the neighbor's ashtray!!
Very nice keepsake, Michelle! :-)
Michael
Very nice piece, love it.
Unfortunately you have removed quite a bit of the value and charm with the patina... Shame too, that would have been quite a nice bracelet. I don't understand why people do this, does it look better to you this way?...
Its definitely turquoise but its not from deep in the earth or anything. That's just what happens to some stones over time, absorbing oils from the skin and moisture from the air. It is from the Harvey-era, the stamps are not actually classic native American symbols though, they were invented by the white traders because they looked "Indian" and would remind them of their time in the Southwest.
I thought this was fake at first because its so brilliantly white. I've never seen a patina so completely removed, what on earth did you do? Boil it in acid? It actually would have been fairly valuable if you had not done that. It kills me to look at it... I love this stuff...
Stillwater, I completely agree about leaving patina on the pieces!!!! I have taught jewelry stores to do just that! Its almost a sin to look at a great vintage piece polished like it was new! UGH...using ash makes it worse because it seems to leave a matte almost aluminum look to it....nice piece though....too bad!
This would probably be Navajo and definetely an earlier piece. The whirling log was discontinued in use once the Navajo found the symbol to be associated with the Nazi regime. So it would most likely predate the 1930's. Ash did turn this an aluminum look, but still a very nice piece.
You take ashed from a fireplace or ashtray and rub it into a cloth, then use that to polish. It gives it this "brushed" look because ashes are actually unburned minerals. Its like polishing with very, very fine silt or something like that.
I don't think the Navajo themselves found that the swastika was associated with the Nazis, more likely it was the traders who told them to cut it out after Germany invaded Poland in 1939, so its probably from the earlier 30's. Hitler wasn't always hated like you would think, he made Man of the Year in Time Magazine in 1938. We get Jewish people in our store sometimes who get all upset when they see those logs on the Harvey pieces, and then I need to teach them a little history lesson to prevent them from causing a stink.
It is actually a symbol of well being or stability...
Thank you Native Jewelry Lovers! I assumed the whirling logs took the four directions and added another dimension, motion, and time, that the four seasons, the 4 directions, keep flowing ever onward in a cycle(circle), to me it implies the 4 sacred directions(as in the Zia) with wind, thus motion(to be more literal), which equates naturally time, so saying,this symbol, to me, equates to the passage of cycles (ex: seasons) of time ad infinity. Thus it speaks of the infinite nature of the cycles that guide Mother nature and Survival...not so easy to put into words...
I KNOW I could have said THAT more easily!!! Hard to describe what a symbol means to me, it is more than words, a feeling.