Necklace & Earring Set, Thunderbird, Santo Domingo, Depression, Vintage, 3960

A WORK OF ART AND A LITTLE PIECE OF HISTORY

"During the Great Depression of the 1930s, Native American artists often used scrap materials including 78 rpm phonograph records, car battery casings (hard rubber), and red plastic dinnerware such as Dairy Queen spoons. This collectible, museum-quality tab necklace and earrings are a great example of Depression Era jewelry." (courtesy Horsekeeping, LLC)

Southwestern Santo Domingo-style jewelry is not only beautiful but almost baffling. 

This vintage thunderbird necklace is a very unusual piece, featuring a mosaic inlay of a thunderbird crafted from resourceful materials such as battery casings and gypsum, as well as tiny pieces of turquoise that, in more prosperous times, might have been discarded. The string of beads is adorned with small triangular tabs crafted from the same materials. A pair of matching thunderbird earrings completes the duo that highlights that history of our past.

• affiliation: Kewa
• materials: sterling silver, turquoise, coral
• measurements: necklace length: 21 1/4", bird: 1 1/2" x 1 3/4", earring length: 1 3/8", earring width: 5/8"
• weight: necklace: 63 grams, earrings: 2 grams each
• nice vintage condition
• stones are secure in their settings
• abrasions and surface wear commensurate with age
• silver has a nice patina
• wear from ethnographic use
• style: JN3960