My father (pictured above in Le Mans, France) had gone through a lot by the age of 17, when he signed up to join the Army. His mother had died three years earlier, leaving him and four siblings orphaned.

There are a lot of ways to get beautiful treasures in front of potential buyers. I have my own website here, plus I sell on various marketplaces, such as Etsy. I also tap into the buyers who spend their time on social media. One of my favorite ways to sell is by posting an item on Instagram and letting my followers have first shot at buying the piece before I list it.

Spiny oyster has been used in Native American jewelry since ancient times. Learn about the shell and where it's from.

Dubbed "the biggest fake Native American Art conspiracy" by the National Geographic, sellers of fake Native jewelry now face the consequences of their actions.

Every time the month of March rolls around, I forget how many days there are in this month. And I keep forgetting until we get to October, because I always remember Halloween is on October 31. And I know December has 31 days because New Year's Eve.

Native American hallmarks are not only key for honoring and recognizing an artist or silversmith who made a piece of Native American jewelry; they are also one of the ways to confirm that a piece is actually American Indian made. And confirming that provenance is more important than some people realize, as The Indian Arts & Crafts Act of 1990--a truth-in-advertising law--prohibits misrepresentation in marketing of Indian arts and crafts products within the United States.

Guest post by Daisy Ransom about how growing up in New Mexico has influenced her life across the miles. Photograph of Daisy's linocut skull prayer flag.

I think my favorite part about selling vintage is finding it. And anyone who collects old, authentic Native American jewelry knows it's getting harder and harder to find. So imagine my delight when one Saturday morning while selling a few of my vintage mistakes at my folks' annual neighborhood garage sale, I met a man who would become my best kept secret source for authentic Old Pawn.

I recently found this gorgeous wedding topper from 1944 (!!!) with soldier and bride, encased along with original corsage in lovely brass and glass case. The wedding topper got me thinking about my parents and their marriage. Dad had been out of the army--he's a WWII veteran--for two years when he and Mom tied the knot. They celebrated 70 years of marriage last month. It's hard to imagine being together that long, especially since most marriages have only about a 50% chance of lasting.