SAN FRANCISCO, CA.- Turner Auctions + Appraisals is pleased to present Native American Jewelry on Saturday, December 8, 2018. Offering over 300 lots, mostly from one major collector, this extensive sale features a fine selection of Native American and Southwest jewelry, including bracelets, squash blossom and heishi necklaces, rings, numerous watch cuffs and watch bands, concho and other belts, brooches and pins, pendants, hat bands, belt buckles, bolos, and ketohs. Most are Native American, including Navajo and Zuni, with sterling or coin silver; most have turquoise, coral or other embellishments. All are Old Pawn or vintage. Several other related items round out the sale, including a Navajo rug, silver desk set, and bead work items.

Of note, this is the final sale of items from a major collector whose exceptional jewelry Turner Auctions + Appraisals has been privileged to offer buyers over the past two years. The collection’s owner, who has since retired, was a major dealer and collector of Navajo, Zuni and Hopi jewelry in Southern California for over 30 years. From the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, he operated a retail business that sold vintage, contemporary and custom Southwest jewelry to movie studios, prop and costume houses, and collectors. All auction items are “from the vault” – ones that were reserved for personal use or set aside for future appreciation. Everything in his collection is original and hand-made. Most items are made of heavy, solid silver – either coin or sterling silver, and adorned with gem-quality stones and elaborate hand-cut bezels. The majority were crafted by talented artists; many are maker-stamped. Some items are vintage ceremonial pieces; many are museum-quality. None of the pieces have color-enhanced stones, or are plated with silver or nickel. Overall, the owner’s quest was to obtain top-quality items that were out of the ordinary – the finest examples of handwork he could find.

Turner Auctions + Appraisals begins its online auction on Saturday December 8, at 10:30 am PST; sale items are available for preview and bidding now. The online auction will be featured live on four platforms: LiveAuctioneers, Invaluable, Bidsquare and Turner Auctions + Appraisals’ free mobile app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Apps ("Turner Auctions"). All are easily accessed through ‘Upcoming Auctions’ at the company’s website.

Here are some highlights of the upcoming sale

Lot 14: Old Pawn Southwest Zuni Silver Squash Blossom Set. Necklace size: 14 1/2 inches approximate (total length). Pendant/ naja size: 2 x 2 inches approx. A pair of earrings. Cuff bracelet. Ring. Total weight: 165 g approx. Estimate: $500-700.

Lot 3: Navajo Cuff Bracelet. An old pawn turquoise and silver cuff bracelet. Largest example is approx. 2 1/2 inches wide. Approx. size: 6 1/2 inches, including additional wrist gap. Approx. total weight: 127 g. Estimate: $300-500.

Lot 19: Four Zuni Rings. Old pawn Southwest jewelry, consisting of a miscellaneous grouping of four silver, hardstone and turquoise rings. Approx. size: 1 1/4 inches in length largest example. Rings sizes range from approx. 7 1/2-8. Approx. total weight: 107 g. Estimate: $200-300.

Lot 96: Navajo Belt Buckles. Two vintage old pawn turquoise, coral and silver buckles. Largest example: 3 1/4" x 4" approx. Total weight: 219 g approx. Both marked sterling, both with maker’s marks. Estimate: $300-500.

Lot 12: Navajo Cuff Bracelets. Two old pawn silver cuff bracelets. Largest example is approx. 1 inches wide. Approx. size: 7 and 6 1/4 inches, which includes the additional wrist gap. Approx. total weight: 91 g. Both with maker’s and sterling marks. Estimate: $200-400.

Lot 46: Navajo Brooch. Vintage old pawn Navajo jewelry, consisting of a turquoise and silver brooch. Approximate size: 1 3/4 x 3 1/4 inches. Approximate total weight: 73 g. Estimate: $200-300.

Lot 31: Heishi Necklace. Old pawn Southwest jewelry consisting of a turquoise and hardstone Navajo heishi necklace. Necklace size approximate: 14 1/4 inches. Estimate: $150-250.

Lot 130: Silver and Turquoise Ketoh. Vintage 1970’s Navajo, turquoise and silver handmade bow guard. Approximately: 3 3/4" x 3". Estimate: $200-300.

Lot 118: Navajo Bolo Tie. Vintage and pawn Navajo bolo tie, turquoise and silver. Largest example is approx. 3" x 2 3/4" (bolo only). Marked with maker. Estimate: $150-250.

Lot 134: Navajo Hat Bands. Two old pawn Navajo turquoise and silver hat bands. Both with maker’s marks, one with sterling mark. Estimate: $200-400.

Lot 253: Old Pawn Concho Belt. Navajo 22-concho turquoise silver belt. Approximate concho/disk size: 2 x 2 inches. Approximate total length of the belt: 46 inches. Marked sterling and makers mark (on buckle). Estimate: $600-800.

Lot 300: Navajo Rug. Size approximately 57 x 94 inches. Estimate: $800-1,200.