posted 10-18-2006 10:51 AM            

This is a coin silver pendant that dates to the 19th century. It is completely unmarked. It looks as though the original jump ring at the top broke off at some point and another was added to the back of the piece. The size of the pendant is approx. 1 3/8" diameter. The dark spot on the back appears to be from a previous owner's acid test. I am stumped on its origins. One suggestion is Indian Trade. I would like to hear anybody else' opinion.

posted 10-18-2006 01:05 PM            

Have been meaning to buy a 1980 book put out by National Museums of Canada called Covenant Chain: Indian Ceremonial and Trade Silver by Jayne Frederickson. Pretty inexpensive in paperback, finances just a bit tight lately (as usual).

Cheryl ;o)

posted 10-18-2006 03:05 PM            

It is an interesting looking piece, but one thing bothers me about this, is that the eagle is not the typical American Federal Eagle (which this evidently represents) one would expect from someone working contemporaneously - they would be expected to know that the Federal Eagle bears a striped shield on its breast, and not a heart; there are also other details (wing position, lack of the olive branch and arrows in the feet, etc,). The illustrated examples in the book include a number of armbands with engraved Federal Eagles, all of which, although of uneven quality, are true to the details. This is sufficiently impressionistic that it makes me suspicious that is was made by someone unfamiliar with the symbolism. The addition of the rope is aberrant - it seems to carry a nautical or perhaps ceremonial connotation. The pendants in the book are larger than this one (if that is what it is/was). I don't have enough experience with trade silver to say that it is not contemporary, but I am suspicious.

There is a thread dealing with a forged gorget (Joseph Richardson), which may be interesting.

posted 10-18-2006 04:33 PM            

I have received some interesting replies via email, and when I have more time, I will summarize those here.

posted 10-18-2006 07:39 PM            

quote:

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As a collector of Native American silver, the bird pendant is quite interesting. The chisel marks and obvious wear patterns appear old and consistent with late 19th century silversmithing work. But, the pendant does not appear overly consistent with early Navajo silver work, due to the figural aspects and outlining of the bird. However, the heart motif does correspond to some early Navajo pieces.

In her book North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment, the author Lois Sherr Dubin includes some information on the midwestern Native American Peyote Church. Beginning in the late 1880's, Peyotism modernized various midwestern tribal beliefs into a cohesive, inclusive, singular religious movement. Your pendant is similar to the book's picture of an early Osage peyote bird pin. Indeed, Church members wore silver pins, pendants, and neckscarf ties as an indicator of their adherence to the Peyotism precepts.

Usually, Peyote Church birds include a scissor-like bird figure, in which the bottom feathers spread outward. This motif is somewhat consistent with your pendant. Also, this bird motif has remained consistent throughout the long history of the Native American Church, which continues to this day.

I hope this helps you discover more about the history behind your interesting pendant.

Jonathan Carr

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quote:

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Hi, Paul.

Beautiful pieces. Did they come from the same source?

I don't know what the first couple of lines of the signature on the
copper piece are meant to say, but I believe the final word could be a
misspelling of "salmon." You don't show the entire bracelet, and the
one image you do show appears to be an eagle, but there might be a
salmon represented elsewhere.

The other piece reminds me of a very early Northwest Coast silver
bracelet I show in my online article about Northwest Coast jewelry: http://www.milkywayjewels.com/nwi_jewels.html
At the end of the article I thank several experts who helped me with my
research. If you e-mail them they may be able to help you with the
rest
of the inscription.

Thanks for showing these interesting pieces. I'd be interested in
hearing what you find out.

Cheri Van Hoover

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