Bear Necklace with turquoise nuggets BBN333

The Grizzli Collection

Garris was an attorney in New York City, and was once an assistant district attorney for Queens County. It was during her legal career that she was nicknamed "Grizzli" by her colleagues for her relentless aggression in the courtroom going after white collar criminals; her late husband, David, called her "Grizzli" ever since they met, and her license plate also read"Grizzli". When Garris attended law school, she met her best friend Gila, who moved to Tucson, and it was on trips to Arizona visiting Gila that Garris fell in love with Native American jewelry, especially pieces with birds or turtles (given her nickname). David was half Cherokee, and even though Garris was very much a Jewish New Yorker without any personal connection to tribal culture or artwork, her love for David amplified her interest in Native American symbolism. Over the years, she amassed an extensive collection of southwest jewelry. We are pleased to find new homes for Grizzli's collection. Many pieces, although beautiful, are not Native American made, and that's why we are selling them here in the Bargain Barn.

Native American Bear Symbolism

Bear is considered the most powerful of all of the animals and is one of the most popular subjects of Native American carvers. Bear is a spiritual guide and represents strength and self-knowledge. Bear has supernatural powers and great healing powers. Bear is a symbol deliberate action, introspection, soul and insight for the past and the future. The Bear is the guardian of the West an is one of the animals of the Six Directions. Bears are the main figure in the Mountain Way, an important Navajo ceremony. Bear claws are a traditional adornment to pendants and bracelets.

What is Pen Shell?

Pen shell, also called sea wing and fan mussel, shares characteristics with oysters, scallops, and mussels. Having the general shape of a mussel with two thin-walled, fan-shaped shells, the pen shell is typically long and tapered, somewhat triangular, like a flag or pennant from which it get its name. Pen shells can grow to more that twelve inches in length. The shells are various shades of black and reddish brown with colorful iridescent lining. Pen shells are common in shallow waters near seagrass beds and are usually found buried in the sand with only the upper portion of the shell exposed. Pen shell heishi is commonly used by Native American artists either by itself or as spacers with other materials such as turquoise, coral and spiny oyster.

Our Rescue Mission
of Native American Indian Jewelry and Artifacts

We are in the vintage Native American jewelry rescue business and are passionate about finding new homes for used and vintage jewelry and artifacts. That's why we purchase Native American pieces from estates, inheritances, collection downsizing and New Old Stock (NOS) inventory from closed stores.

Often people contact us after taking a box of Native American jewelry to their local pawn shop and find that a pawn shop is mainly interested in melt value of the metals and not in preserving the beautiful historic pieces. To hear that people have considered selling these treasures for melt value makes us truly sad.

Melt value is usually far below what we would offer for the jewelry. Yet we can't pay retail price for items because of the time and cost involved in finding new homes for them. We have to research, often repair and restore the jewelry, photograph and list each item on our website, and sometimes hold pieces in inventory for years until the right buyer comes along.

Items that are Mexican go in our Mexican Shop. Other items not Native American made or that we cannot verify as such go into our Bargain Barn where you can find some real treasures at low prices.

We hope you'll find something special in our vintage shop that will complete yet another circle of our jewelry re-homing mission.

Graduated Bear Necklace

HK Item #BBN333

The Grizzli Collection

Native American Bear Symbolism

What is Pen Shell?

Our Rescue Mission
of Native American Indian Jewelry and Artifacts

Graduated Bear Necklace

HK Item #BBN333

The Grizzli Collection

Native American Bear Symbolism

What is Pen Shell?

Our Rescue Missionof Native American Indian Jewelry and Artifacts

Our Rescue Mission
of Native American Indian Jewelry and Artifacts