Loretta Bia, Navajo - Sterling Silver |  |
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Loretta Bia, Navajo BU192
- $94 plus s/h | ||||||||||||
Paula says - "Want your jewelry to look like new? Read my blog 'To Polish or Not to Polish'."
Will fit up to a 1 1/4" wide belt. |
What is Chip Inlay?Chip inlay is a method where cavities in jewelry are filled with a mixture of crushed stone, typically turquoise and coral, and epoxy resin. The piece is then polished smooth after the resin has hardened. Navajo Tommy Singer is credited for first using chip inlay in Native American jewelry. |
Native American Bear SymbolismBear 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. |
NOTE: Items in our Vintage Shop are either USED or NEW. They might come from inheritances, estate sales, private collections, and store liquidations. Many items are brand new (NOS, New Old Stock) and in perfect condition while others may show tarnish, scratches and other signs of use. Major issues will be described in detail and shown in photos. Vintage Shop items are sold as described and are not returnable. |
Horsekeeping
LLC - Definitions of Jewelry Age and Condition © 2013 Horsekeeping LLC © Copyright Information | |
Patina | A dark or colored film of oxidation that forms naturally on metal by exposure to air and other elements. It is often valued for its aesthetically pleasing appearance. All items in our Vintage Shop have some patina, even NOS. |
Vintage | 30 years or older. |
NOS | New Old Stock. Made at least 20 years ago but never used. |
Pre-owned | An item that has been used. |
Our Rescue Mission 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. We hope you'll find something special in our vintage shop that will complete yet another circle of our jewelry re-homing mission. |
