Necklace, Thunderbird, Santo Domingo Depression, Kewa, Vintage, '40s, 1198

DEPRESSION-ERA JEWELRY IS MAKING A COMEBACK IN A MAJOR WAY. WHAT WERE ONCE 1O-CENT ROADSIDE TOURIST TRINKETS ARE NOW COVETED AND COLLECTIBLE, AND WE ARE ALL ABOUT THEIR RESURGENCE RIGHT NOW.

This is a great older tab necklace, dating back to about the 1920s-’30s. It has a Thunderbird design inlaid into the pendant, crafted from tiny bits of turquoise, gypsum, and resin, strung on a braided nylon string with gypsum beads. This necklace is from the famous Jewel Box collection. The Jewel Box was owned by Morrey and Honeylou Resnick. They opened in 1949 and were located in downtown Phoenix. Later it was moved to North Central Avenue, until it closed in May, 2006. Over the years, they amassed a large collection of Native American Jewelry. Several of their pieces were photographed in the famous Arizona Highways turquoise issues from the 1970s, including the well-known magazines of the January 1974 issue, the August 1974 issue and the March 1975 issue. The Reznik's original tag with information has been left attached.