Animal Fetish Necklace

HK Item #N730

Jewelry < Vintage Jewelry < Vintage Necklaces

mother of pearl animal fetish necklace 26 inches long

size	26" end to end 13 animals approx. 3/4" to 1 1/2" long
materials	mother of pearl, shell and turquoise heishi, read about stones sterling silver, read about silver
condition	pre-owned, excellent, like new; no broken or missing pieces
artist	unknown

mother of pearl animal fetish necklace 26 inches long

Animals include fox, turtle, bear, songbird, fish, rabbit, squirrel.

mother of pearl animal fetish necklace 26 inches long

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Animal Fetish Necklace

N730 - $145 plus s/h
(ONLY ONE AVAILABLE)

Paula says - "In my opinion, this animal necklace shows design characteristics and workmanship of being Native American made. But because there is no hallmark that we can attribute to a specific artist we can't legally sell it as Native American made - read more."

mother of pearl animal fetish necklace 26 inches long

Strung on wire with shell and turqoise heishi. Sterling silver hook and eye.

Store Policies

Questions or more details.

The Grizzli Collection

The Grizzli Collection of authentic Native American jewelry 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 bears (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.

What is a Fetish Necklace?

First, a Native American fetish is a stone or shell carving, usually in the image of an animal. Indian fetishes can be carried or displayed. Those that are carried are often called pocket fetishes. Those that are displayed are called table fetishes. Zuni artists are the traditional fetish carvers, but there are many talented Navajo carvers as well.

Native American fetish necklaces use small fetishes that are drilled and strung like beads with fine shell, turquoise or jet heishi in between. The animals can vary but often include birds, bears, horses, mountain lions, turtles, foxes, wolves and many others. The stones usually used include turquoise, mother of pearl, pink shell, acoma jet, serpentine, pipestone and many others.
Read more about fetishes.

Is it Mother of Pearl or Abalone?

Mother of pearl, also known as nacre, is the outer coating of pearls and is also a protective layer that forms the lining of some mollusks including abalone. It is strong, resilient, and iridescent, which means that it changes color as the angle of view or the angle of light changes. Mother of pearl from most mollusks has a milky white or silver appearance, whereas mother of pearl from abalone has dark rainbow hues. Read more . . .

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 © 2015 Horsekeeping LLC © Copyright Information
Patina	A dark or colored film of oxidation that forms naturally on metal exposure to air and other elements. It is often valued for its aesthetically pleasing appearance.
Vintage	30 years or older.
NOS	New Old Stock. Retail store inventory from at least 10 years ago.
Pre-owned	An item that has been used.

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.

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

Animal Fetish Necklace

The Grizzli Collection

Is it Mother of Pearl or Abalone?

Our Rescue Missionof Native American Indian Jewelry and Artifacts

Our Rescue Mission
of Native American Indian Jewelry and Artifacts