Unmarked Stuff?

Just some things that have no Hallmark, that I can find.

If anybody can tell me anything about any one of these pieces, I surely would appreciate it!

I’m pretty sure all this stuff is at least 50 years old, but I could be wrong, idk!

I’m trying to research them now, to find a starting price, as I will be putting them up on eBay soon.

This one (below) is up for auction now, for the 2nd time… no bids.

Again, Thanks for any info & Thanks for looking!

Dude, I will leave to Jason and other experts discussion of possible provenance.

I’m going to talk to you here about your marketing, not about your stuff, which I think is wonderful, old, real, authentic and most appealing to those who are passionate about the history of Native American jewelry. These are studious people who’ve read up on stuff, looked at a lot of it, and care about originality and patina. I think they’d find a hallmark useful but these people are routinely buying work completed in a pre-hallmark era.

The average 20-year-old who wants something to wear to music festivals isn’t your customer for these particular pieces.

You need to appeal to your customer.

(I think I overlap with your customer a little: I love your petrified wood cuff with the turquoise satellites, I think the object to the left of it isn’t Native American – looks like something out of Asia, though I don’t know where – and then I like the cuff in the center as I’ll be interested to hear what Jason says about the big turquoise.)

  1. What category are you listing under? I tend to browse through at least four categories on eBay when I’m looking for jewelry. I expect to see old stuff like yours, not under jewelry, but under:
  • Collectibles/Cultures & Ethnicities/Native American - U.S./1935-Now/Jewelry

I also see stuff like yours under

  • Jewelry & Watches/Vintage & Antique Jewelry/Vintage Ethnic, Regional and Tribal Jewelry/Vintage & Antique Native American Jewelry
  1. Take more photos, particularly close-ups, and take them in natural lighting. Your pictures look dark and have highlights on them from a flash. It’s worth taking the time to show off these pieces at the prices you are asking. With your string of stones, I think that is a case of not enough information and people being rightfully wary of turquoise authenticity and quality, and they can’t tell from the pictures you are giving them.

  2. Use your keywords for search. I am a keyword user. I will try stuff like “coral pawn” “vintage coral” and I will run certain artist surnames, among other things. You better be using “Vintage Pawn” in your listing title somewhere, because these certainly evoke those words for me.

I wish I’d had the cash for your Hooee piece, but I tend to chase undervalued pieces that delight my eye which are in a lower price range. When I have a tax refund or a windfall, I get an “investment piece” from a really good dealer. Otherwise I have a strict limit of what to spend on an individual piece.

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I belive that the gold colored top piece is perhaps not Native American. The others I would be geussing. Best that the experts look.

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I’m gonna have to check the ‘Category’ on eBay! That’s probably the most difficult part about selling there, as an individual, imo.

Here’s 2 photos of more stuff with no Hallmark, 1 with flash & 1 without… I’m wondering which is better for color & clarity?

I use ‘Vintage’ a lot, sometimes ‘old pawn’, as well. I don’t know if it helps, but I try to fill the title with as many relevant keywords as I can!

The S. Hooee Needlepoint Squash & Cuff set sold for $1400… 2 bidders bid in the last 3 seconds! I started the auction at $900 with a ‘buy it now’ of $2000.

That big butterfly piece, what is that? Is that a belt buckle, or a brooch? That looks like something worth owning – that is the object I’d want you to show me, from this batch.

The butterfly ring seems vaguely familiar to me. I am going to look in my Zuni “Art & the People” book, as the name “Lasiloo” is coming to mind.

Someone is going to want the cuff if you call it “Harvey Era.”

I collect chip inlay cuffs by a particular artist, Delvin Nelson. Most people want Tommy Singer’s but I have sentimental & historical reasons for focusing on Delvin Nelson. There are several artists who made rings like the one on the far right, including Mr. Nelson.

Not Lasiloo. That’s in that style, but little flowers.

Google images or search eBay for Ivan J. Tsethlikai, and compaire.

Butterfly pin/brooch is about an 1.5" square, it might look bigger because of the photo?
All these were covered in dust when I got/found them.

This reminds me of your ring. Look at the butterfly’s body and placement rather than at the colors. This is why I said Ivan J. Tsethlikai.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-Zuni-Sterling-Silver-Butterfly-Ring-inlay-MOP-Ivan-J-Tsethlikai-/201637194158?hash=item2ef28369ae:g:wlEAAOSwhOdXn9ax

An example of a chip inlay wrap ring. I’m able to find one for sale by Jerry Roan, and also this one, with a design a little closer to yours.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/497838050/old-navajo-julius-ahasteen-chip-inlay?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=chip%20inlay%20ring&ref=sr_gallery_1