At a Glance:

Vintage Native American choker-length Navajo pearls
Signed “PC” — Presley and Della Curley
Uniform oversized sterling silver bead construction with stampwork
Commanding collar length presence
One-of-a-kind collector piece

Necklace Features:

• .925 sterling silver
• Handmade 1" Navajo pearls strung on traditional foxtail chain
• Traditional hand-stamped impressions around the mid-section of each bead
• Substantial handmade hook clasp
• Signed by the silversmiths
  
• Condition: Very Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Necklace Specifications:

• Wear scale: bold choker-length per SCJ size guide - rests close to the base of the neck
• Bead diameter: 25-26 mm (approx. 1")
• Total length (including clasps): 16 7/8" (the model shown has a 12 1/2" neck – average neck sizes may benefit from a 3-4" extender for a relaxed drape)
  
• Weight: 153.5 grams

ABOUT THIS PIECE:

This strand of Native American-made beads presents a dramatic row of unusually large silver beads defined less by ornament than by proportion — a measured sequence of substantial, hand-formed elements assembled into a collar-length arrangement. Each bead was individually shaped, joined, and stamped in an understated fashion before being strung together, allowing the visual rhythm to arise from form and spacing rather than dense decoration.

The hallmark stamped on the terminal bead identifies the work of Della and Presley Curley, whose jewelry is recognized across documented examples for consistent construction and finishing. Even in late-twentieth-century work, producing matched beads of this scale required careful forming, soldering, and individual stamping — a demanding process that highlights the Curleys’ superior artistry. These Navajo pearls are a testament to the harmonious, coordinated bench practice typical of their partnership, where each artisan's vision reads as a continuous form.

Silver bead necklaces developed from early Diné silversmithing in the late nineteenth century, following the adoption of metalworking fabrication learned over the years through contact with Spanish and Mexican smiths. By the early twentieth century, hollow beads had become a distinctive element of Navajo adornment, valued both for their aesthetics and as portable wealth. These pearls demonstrate adherence to methods passed down through generations and the inherent quality of traditional Navajo silverwork.

ARTISAN NOTE:

Della and Presley Curley are a Navajo husband-and-wife silversmith team active from the 1970s through the 1990s, signing their jewelry with a shared “PC” hallmark. Their recorded working period follows the waning of the traditional trading-post system, when many Diné artisans carried on time-honored silversmithing methods within independent family workshops, where knowledge passed bench to bench rather than through formal studios.

As with many makers of this generation, their history is preserved primarily in their creations rather than in print. Attribution rests in the metal — the hallmark, steady hand fabrication, and crisp embellishments — all elements associated with the growing preference for artisan recognition and robust, well-crafted Navajo silverwork in the late twentieth century.

The shared mark reflects a household bench practice common in Navajo jewelry making, where collaboration often mattered just as much as individual authorship. With limited written record, understanding their work has developed through comparison of authenticated examples and the recurring characteristics recognized by collectors over time. Although later activity has not been formally documented, their work is placed within the Navajo silver revival and the decades that followed, when reclaiming historic forms in jewelry evolved from renewed interest into established tradition — a quiet lineage living not in catalogs, but with those who recognize the heritage reflected in each piece.

PERFECT FOR:

• Collectors of authentic Native American jewelry
• Admirers of Navajo pearls
• Those seeking strong statement pieces without stones
• Striking as a choker for special occasions
• Everyday wear when paired with an extender for a more relaxed drape
• Anyone who enjoys chokers and layered styling

✨ Collectors Circle members receive a welcome offer on their first purchase. 

At a Glance:

Old Pawn Native American turquoise cluster pin brooch
Attributed to the Tobe Turpen trading post, Gallup, New Mexico
Hand-laid rosette setting rather than template layout
High-domed Persian turquoise cabochons
Engraved “TT” shop control mark (not the artist's signature)
Early post-war trading era, circa 1948–1956

Pin Features:

• .925 sterling silver (unstamped)
• Handmade Navajo construction
  
• Original pin assembly
• Organic patina
• Unsigned (period-appropriate)
• Condition: Excellent — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide>

Pin Specifications:

• Wear scale: medium-large statement — best suited for jackets, denim, or heavier fabrics
• Center turquoise & largest stones: 1/4" x 5/16" (bezel to bezel)
• Diameter: 2 3/8"
• Weight: 41 grams — substantial for a brooch

ABOUT THIS PIECE:

This medium-large Native American cluster brooch bears a small, hand-engraved “TT” on the reverse — not a silversmith’s signature, but a quiet record of passage through the Tobe Turpen trading post in Gallup, New Mexico. Before consistent branding became common, trading houses marked jewelry this way simply to keep track of pieces moving across the counter and back to the bench.

The construction tells the rest of the story. The backplate is cut from thick silver sheet, each bezel shaped individually, and the pin assembly soldered directly to the plate rather than fitted with a later safety catch. The high-domed Persian turquoise cabochons show gentle variation in tone because they were chosen and set one at a time — a working method typical of mid-century bench silversmithing rather than calibrated studio production.

You’ll also notice there is no “STERLING” stamp. Earlier, Native American jewelry was not always marked for metal purity; traders supplied the silver and tested it in-house rather than relying on retail stamps. Standardized purity marks became widespread later as jewelry moved into larger retail channels, so the absence of a stamp here is consistent with the period rather than a concern.

Look closely, and the rosette setting softens into a faint oval, the spacing subtly shifts, and the center sits slightly off-axis. That’s not a flaw but a sign of hand-laid work: the silversmith built the design around the stones rather than forcing them into a template. Early Native American cluster jewelry was assembled in motion at the bench, giving it a natural rhythm that later standardized Southwestern jewelry rarely carries.

Taken together — the engraved trading-post mark, heavier gauge silver, older catch, hand-cut stones, and bench-laid arrangement — the brooch most comfortably aligns with the early post-war trading era, circa 1948–1956. It reads less like a catalog pattern and more like a working example of Native American turquoise jewelry: balanced, substantial, and made to be worn long before uniformity became the norm. In keeping with its versatility, the piece may also be worn as a pendant using a removable pin-to-pendant converter, leaving it unaltered.

ATTRIBUTION NOTE:

By the 1930s, travelers were already discovering Southwestern jewelry along the railroad and early highways, with the Fred Harvey network helping introduce these forms to a national audience. In Gallup, trading posts operated alongside that growing interest but served a different role. When Tobe Turpen opened his doors in 1939, the shop functioned less as a display counter and more as a working exchange. Silversmiths arrived with finished pieces, picked up silver and stones, or accepted requests for certain styles, while the final decisions still happened at the bench.

One way to picture it: the rail and highway trade broadened appreciation for Southwestern jewelry, while Gallup trading posts helped sustain the hands-on production behind it. Pieces associated with Turpen often feel heavier and less standardized because they were shaped individually rather than duplicated from a single master pattern. Turpen-era jewelry reflects a narrower mid-century moment when demand was growing but fabrication remained largely guided by the maker’s hand.

PERFECT FOR:

• Collectors of mid-century Native American jewelry
• Those drawn to early trading-post pieces and turquoise cluster work
• Southwestern statement styling
• Adding substance to lapels, denim, or woven jackets
• Pairing with turquoise necklaces and silver bead strands

✨ Collectors Circle members receive a welcome offer on their first purchase.

At a Glance:

Vintage Native American squash blossom necklace
Classic Zuni turquoise cluster
Hand-fabricated silverwork
Unsigned post-Harvey Era production
Strong mid-20th-century collector example

Necklace Features:

• .925 sterling silver
• Turquoise in petit point, needlepoint, and snake-eyes (round cuts)
• Bench-made beads strung on traditional foxtail chain
  
• Period wire hook-and-eye closure
  
• Condition: Very Fine — see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Necklace Specifications: 

• Wear scale: moderate matinee presence per SCJ size guide, rendered in a refined mid-century scale
• Naja pendant: 2" x 2"
  
• Blossom length: approx. 1"
• Bead diameter: 7-8 mm
• Total length (including clasp): 25 7/8" 
• Weight: 81.1 grams

ABOUT THIS PIECE:

This elaborate Native American squash blossom necklace presents the refined look collectors expect from mid-century classics. The four-petaled blossoms, restrained proportions, and balanced placement of stone and silver support this period attribution. Masterfully cut into clusters of petit point, needlepoint (slightly fuller profile), and round elements, the blue turquoise cabochons— with minimal matrix and subtle shade variation—create a dimensional, mosaic-like composition.

The stone-cutting precision and cluster layout align with the Zuni jewelry-making practice of the 1960s. Matched cuts, even bezels, and the steady rhythm from the naja through each blossom unify the necklace while still highlighting each handmade component. The carefully constructed bench-made strand of beads and wire serves as a traditional backdrop for the stonework.

Each small, tightly fitted part of the ensemble required sustained lapidary and silverwork control, lending the piece a more delicate, labor-intensive character compared with the bolder proportions that became common in the following decade.

PERFECT FOR:

• Collectors of vintage Zuni jewelry
• Admirers of traditional petit point and needlepoint work
• Those seeking squash blossom necklaces with balanced scale
• Southwestern and heritage-focused styling
• Pairing with other mid-century turquoise piece

✨ Collector’s Circle members receive a welcome offer on their first purchase.

At a Glance:

Late-20th-century Southwestern Eagle Dancer kachina bolo tie
Produced under the Broken Arrow Traders brand
Hallmark associated with Kay Johnson
Additional attribution to Navajo silversmith Pete Morgan
Set with seven turquoise cabochons consistent with Blue Gem material
Accented with five red-orange coral stones
Large-scale figural sterling silver collector piece

Bolo Tie Features:

• .925 sterling silver
• Seven vivid blue turquoise cabochons
• Five red-orange coral accents
• Layered hand-fabricated silver construction
• Figural Eagle Dancer kachina motif
• Thick braided leather cord
• Heavy-gauge sterling tips & ferrules
  
• Double-ring slide back
• Hallmarked 
• Condition: Very Fine - see SCJ Vintage Condition Guide

Bolo Tie Specifications: 

• Wear scale: bold statement piece
• Largest turquoise: 1" x 5/8" (bezel to bezel)
• Slide: 6 3/4" x 5"
• Total length: 38 1/2" (includes tips)
• Cord condition: very good (light wear from slide movement)
• Tips & ferrules condition: very good with moderate patina
• Weight: 180.9 grams

ABOUT THIS PIECE: 

This monumental Eagle Dancer kachina bolo tie is a dramatic late-20th-century Southwestern statement piece produced under the Broken Arrow Traders brand, which is closely associated with Anglo silversmith Kay Johnson. Its oversized figural form, layered silver construction, and commanding scale place it firmly within the bold studio-made aesthetic prized by collectors of wearable Southwest art.

The slide centers on a striking Eagle Dancer figure with outstretched wings, richly accented by seven bright blue turquoise cabochons and five coral settings. Together, the stones create dynamic contrast against the dark sterling surface, while the figure's dimensional, overlapping silverwork gives it an unusual presence and movement. A heavy braided leather cord with substantial sterling tips and ferrules completes the piece with a confident, balanced drape.

Because this piece carries additional attribution to Navajo silversmith Pete Morgan, it is best presented as Navajo-attributed work produced by Broken Arrow, rather than as a straightforward single-maker piece. The layered attribution reflects the strongest information presently available while honoring the complexity often found in Southwestern workshop production.

Collector-wise, this is the kind of bolo that reads more like sculptural jewelry than conventional neckwear. It has the visual impact, scale, and workmanship to stand comfortably in an advanced Southwestern jewelry collection.

ATTRIBUTION NOTE: 

The hallmark on this piece aligns with the Broken Arrow Traders brand, which is regularly associated with Kay Johnson, identified in hallmark references as an Anglo silversmith. Secondary-market listings under the Broken Arrow name repeatedly describe Johnson as the maker behind that brand identity, supporting this attribution. 

A comparative evaluation further supports an association between the stylized "M" mark on this piece and Pete Morgan. Documented business records clarifying the exact relationship between Broken Arrow Traders, Johnson, and Morgan were not readily available.

PERFECT FOR:

• Collectors of signed Southwestern & Native American jewelry
• Anyone seeking extra-large bolo ties
• Southwestern style lovers
• Admirers of kachina-inspired designs
  
• Those who appreciate conversation pieces

✨Collector’s Circle members receive a welcome offer on their first purchase.