Sterling Silver |  |
| Vintage Sterling Silver Inlay Belt Buckle BU208 - $295 SOLD | ||||||||||||
Paula says - "In my opinion, this item shows design characteristics and workmanship of being Native American made. But because we are unable to attribute the hallmark to a specific artist we can't legally sell it as Native American made - read more."
Will fit up to a 1" wide belt.
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What is Spiny Oyster?Spiny oyster, not surprisingly, is an oyster that is covered with spines. Like coral or mother-of-pearl, the shell of spiny oyster is considered an organic gemstone. The portion of the shell used to make jewelry is aragonite, which consists of calcium carbonate (CaCO3). Aragonite has the same chemical formula as calcite. Spiny oysters are found along the Atlantic coast of Baja California and Baja Mexico. Common colors vary from orange, found in shallow waters, to red and purple from deeper waters. The shell is also found in white, yellow, pink and brown. Polished shell has definite striations and color variation. Red spiny oyster has been used as a subsititute for coral. |
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. |
