Rare Early Navajo Handmade Hubbell Glass & Real Turquoise Brooch Old Pawn Silver

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Rare Early Navajo Handmade Hubbell Glass & Real Turquoise Brooch Old Pawn Silver:
$325.00

DESCRIPTIONWe just acquired a small group of 8 nice old Native American jewelry pieces (20s-40s era) from a longtime collector. Please be sure to check the last photo as well as our other sales to see the rest of the items. Wonderful antique Navajo hand forged silver brooch. This piece has a simple and elegant design and a nice size. It is made from silver in a hand-cut lobed shape. Each side is set with a roughly triangular piece of genuine turquoise (each with a possible crack). The stones are asymmetrical.

At the center is an irregularly shaped glass cabochon in a bright red color. I thought this was coral at first but it is glass, perhaps “Hubbell Glass” which was a European import. On close inspection you can see a slight area of color variation as these glass pieces were handblown but overall the color is quite uniform. I have not seen many, if any, brooches of this period that used both real stones and glass. Perhaps the artist was unable to find just the right piece of coral and so instead used this piece of glass in order to not sacrifice his vision. The outer border of the brooch features a simple stamped border, and the bezel settings have wire twist accents. The back has its original pinstem and catch, which is a little oddly proportioned but completely original--I sometimes see such “curiosities of craftsmanship” on early Navajo pieces when standard commercial jewelry construction practices weren’t fully known or adhered to. This is a really cool and unusual piece c. 1910s-20s.
MARKSNone
DIMENSIONS3 1/4” across
CONDITIONOverall very good--no repairs, missing pieces, alterations or replacements. Each turquoise may have an old crack in it--I am not able to determine if the cracks go all the way through or are merely on the surface. They may have even occurred when the bezels were set. The red glass has a slightly dull surface from age and wear but no chips.
SHIPPING1st class shipping in the US is always free! Please inquire about upgrades and additional services (such as Priority, Express, insurance, signature confirmation, etc.).1st class shipping outside of the US is a flat rate of $10 for jewelry and smalls. Most items cost around $13 but we have factored in a discount for our international customers. In the unlikely event an item costs less than $10, we will immediately refund the difference.Items ship within 24 hours.