Circa 1960's Old School Navajo Vintage-Graduated Bead Size-Naturally Patinated-Hand Stamped Navajo Pearl- Sterling Beaded Necklace-23.50"
Circa 1960's Old School Navajo Vintage-Graduated Bead Size-Naturally Patinated-Hand Stamped Navajo Pearl- Sterling Beaded Necklace-23.50"
PROVENANCE:
This is another vintage Navajo Pearl necklace that came through my store by a well known Santa Fe’an resident/collector and whose family has been here since the late 1600’s-1700’s and actually has a street named after them here in Santa Fe! (No names mentioned) This belonged to the mother for decades & was kept in a security box inside a bank, until they decided to sell off some of their pieces, since no one in the family wanted them. That’s when I was recommended.(To see the other vintage Navajo Pearl necklace or the “All sterling Squash Blossom” with the “Fleur de Lis” Naja necklace, please look in this same category, as well as viewing the last 5 photos)
ABOUT AUTHENTIC NAVAJO PEARLS:
Authentic Navajo Pearls are made entirely by the hands of Navajo silversmiths. Making each and every bead is truly an extremely labor‑intensive process. Depending on the bead size the artist envisions, the method begins with cutting the sterling into a flat circle, which is then domed; then by taking two half‑domes, they are then soldered together to form a complete bead, so the two halves meet seamlessly, with hopefully no visible line of demarcation. Any stamp work is done before the two half beads are soldered..Next the artist carefully drills each hole. Each bead is hand‑finished and strung individually, one by one. All of these meticulous steps are why “Authentic Navajo Pearls” truly stand out above the rest.
There is nothing used by manufacturers that makes these beads any faster to produce, and nothing you’ll find in mass-produced pieces are made in a commercial way. The beads in this necklace are made the “Old School” way—by hand, using techniques passed down from the artists’ ancestors and often taught across generations—resulting in a character and individuality you simply don’t see in most modern imitations. Many “touristy, overseas” beads are perfectly round and uniform, and although some sellers label them as “Navajo Pearls,” they are not; they’re simply sterling beads that have been artificially darkened around the hole or otherwise treated to look aged, typically churned out quickly by machines rather than carefully made by skilled Native American hands.
THE NECKLACE:
Truly a ‘must have’ for any Southwestern or Native American jewelry collection are Navajo pearl necklaces. This particular piece is substantial enough to stand alone, but if you want to capture that true Santa Fe’an look—what many of us do here, is you’ll layer multiple strands of differing lengths and bead sizes, creating a bold, textured effect that takes the word “statement” to a whole new level of “Holy Mole” !!!.
Designed in a graduated bead size, beginning with a largest 27 mm round center bead (just over 1" in diameter), the artisan then moved to a 19.5 mm (3/4" diameter) bead and stepped down in roughly 2 mm increments from a 19.5 mm to a 17.5 mm, then to 15.5 mm, 13.5 mm and finally 10.5 mm, so the beads subtly shift in scale. This careful, measured graduation highlights the maker’s refined skill and attention to detail; to make the strand drape and lie perfectly, she intuitively selected those increments to produce a balanced, graceful flow.
But what truly validates the "hand made/old school" factor are the bead sizes themselves. For example, while one bead might measure, say, 15.5 mm, the very next one could be 15.8 mm or 15.2 mm. These extremely slight variations aren’t obvious to the naked eye; they become apparent only when you measure each bead carefully with a millimeter gauge.
Except for the 7 beads on each side nearest the closure, every bead shares the same carefully tooled pattern. Over time they’ve developed a rich, warm patination, and each bead is securely strung on a sterling chain for lasting wear.
FOR YOUR INFORMATION:
All Navajo Pearl beads are hollow, with some being light in weight, while others are heavy. The weight of a Navajo Pearl necklace is determined by the gauge of sterling that the artist chose to work with & then of course how big the bead is & the length (More beads)
PLEASE GO THROUGH ALL THE PROVIDED PHOTOS,SINCE THEY PLAY A MAJOR ROLE TO THE DESCRITION!
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INFO:
ARTISAN-UNKNOWN
TRIBAL AFFILATION: NAVAJO
CIRCA MADE: 1960’S (GIVE OR TAKE)
METAL: STERLING (PROFESSIONALLY TESTED)
FINISHING: NATURALLY AGED -WARM/RICH PATINA
STRANDS: 1
APPROXIMATE BEAD SIZE: LARGEST: 27.1 MM -TO 19.5 MM -TO 17.5 MM -TO 15.5 MM -TO A 13.5 MM -THEN DOWN TO 10.5 MM NEAR CLOSURE
WEIGHT: 95.3 GRAMS (3.36 OUNCES)
WEARABLE LENGTH: 23.5” (MEASURED LAYING HORIZONTALLY-END TO END)
ADJUSTABLE: NO
STRUNG ON : STERLING CHAIN
CLOSURE: HOOK & EYE
HALLMARK: NONE-(TYPICAL OF TIME PERIOD)
CONDITION: THIS IS NOT NEW! I SEE NO DINGS IN THE BEADS-VERY DARK NATURAL PATINA-IT HAS BEEN VERY WELL KEPT AND IS IN VERY WELL WEARABLE CONDITION!
WILL COME GIFT BOXED.
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SIGNATURE REQUIREMENT:
Anything with this kind of price tag, will have a mandatory signature confirmation requirement. If you're not home in the day & need it shipped where it can be signed for,please change that in your "Ship To" section before I create the shipping label***I'm sorry if this may be an inconvenience, but I do not ship expensive pieces without one. This is for your safety & mine.
PLEASE READ BEFORE PURCHASING:
To give you close up photos so you can view all the fine detail, the pictures tend to make the item look gigantic & everything is more magnified than in actuality.. So to get an accurate idea of how big this is, please either check it out being worn to get a rough idea (photos) or you can pull out a tape measure & compare to my given measurements that are listed above..
