drum form necklace

[wev]

My knowledge of native silver work is pathetic, so any information on this piece would be greatly appreciated.

The necklace is 24" in length. The pendent drum is 2" tall and 3/4" in diameter. There is a maker's mark, difficult to read clearly, which looks like JI. The workmanship is quite good throughout.





Is this an uncommon form? Time frame? Maker? Location?
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[wev]

No thoughts? Anyone?
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[admin]

Hi WEV,
Don't know all that much about the subject myself, but have been told that, generally speaking, marked Navajo pieces tend to be of later vintage (post 60s). Also that this bright, bright blue color usually means treated stones and still later vintage. Hopefully someone out there has "Hallmarks of the Southwest" and can look up the JI or JT mark.

Regards, Tom
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[wev]

The stones appear much brighter in my pics than they are; all three are distinctly different in colour, the colour is not at all regular in each, and two include very fine ( with a loupe) inclutions of silver veining.

Which is not to say I disagree with the possible dating, just that these are not typical of the altered stones I have seen on modern jewelery, but are quite like those on several bracelets my grandmother purchased in the late 1930s.
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[admin]

The industry wide variations in monitor color settings make me crazy, wish there was a single standard so that we could all see the same picture with the same colors.

Color aside, the earliest common markings on Navajo that I know of are "U.S. Navajo" and date to the mid forties. Some trading posts, such as Maisels, also began marking around this time (possibly a little earlier). Individual maker's marks did not begin to commonly surface until the late 50s and 60s and finally became prevalent beginning in the 70s.

I'm sure there is some misinformation there, hopefully it'll flush out someone with real knowledge on the subject.
Regards, Tom

ps. have never seen a drum motif before.
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[2209patrick]

Don't have a copy of "Hallmarks of the Southwest", but I can offer a good possibility. As Tom suggested, the mark might be JT. There is a highly regarded Navajo artist, named Jack Tom, who uses a JT mark. Jack and his wife Mary have been producing silver jewelry since 1971. I believe they are still working today.

Regards,
Pat.
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[wev]

They are still working, but unfortunately have never used this form according to their agent. The mark does appear to be, after some careful cleaning and a strong loupe, JT, conjoined by the top stoke.
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