Small Repaired Depression Era Santo Domingo Pueblo Thunderbird Necklace, Native American
$505.75 $595.00
From my own collection comes this small and adorable Santo Domingo Depression Era thunderbird necklace. I suspect it was made for a teen or child, although it slipped on and off over my head with no trouble, and I loved the size overall. It has been repaired, in at least one spot that I could discern, which is the middle tail feather section. It looks like a relatively clean break and repair. I can't tell for sure if the tips of the wings have also been reattached. No matter, tris sweet piece is one you will want to treat with extra care, and it is so delightful that you may even want to frame it or use it as a narrow wall hanging. I not know if the "chain" is original or if it was done in the 1970s, but it is also extra special--made with seed beads and between the gypsum beads--and fits the charm of the thunderbird. From a museum website about these so-called "battery birds": "Born in the late 1920s, Thunderbird jewelry was partly a response to the increasing cost and scarcity of such traditional materials as shell and jet — and partly a response to seeing the new yet inexpensive Bakelite jewelry worn by so many visitors in the rapidly shrinking Depression-era tourist market. Soon the Santo Domingo Pueblo jewelry makers were meshing the nation's oldest native jewelry-making tradition with cheaper alternative materials, including black plastic salvaged from car batteries and 78-rpm vinyl records as well as colored plastic salvaged from hair combs, kitchenware and eating utensils. Since small turquoise chips remained readily available from local mines, the newly created Thunderbird form offered the jewelry makers a way to cut costs dramatically while still retaining one of the signature materials of an age-old tradition. Despite the adoption of new materials — which also included beads made of gypsum rather than shell — and the substitution of the Thunderbird figure for their traditional geometric forms, the traditional Santo Domingo Pueblo jewelry makers continued to produce their wares in virtually the same way as before, using the same hand-made tools the culture had known for generations. They made holes with hand drills and punches just as their grandparents had, and they rolled beads into round shapes with stones whose use dated back even further. Duce Cement was the adhesive of choice for many of the families, whose members would cut, then piece their materials together using a variety of distinctive forms and patterns." Other than its smallness, this battery bird has tabs--this one is only two up each side, while most I've sold have at least three, but again, two up each side complements the size of the thunderbird. The thunderbird as well as the tabs going up the sides all use crushed turquoise, and there are some gaps and yellowing of the cement used for glue. There is no closure or clasp; like many of these that I've sold, this one goes on and off over the head.
The bird pendant measures about 1-1/4" wide by about 1-1/2" tall and closer to 1-5/8" tall including the little black piece atop the bird's head where the thread goes through. The necklace is just over 24" where the knot is, and I wouldn't try to take that out for fear of fraying the twine. Weighs 33g, which is lighter than most I've sold.
A fabulous smaller collectible piece of a vanishing history.
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Note that due to lighting plus monitor settings for brightness, contrast and other factors, there may be differences in the colors and tones of photos versus that of the actual item. Please message with questions and I will respond as soon as possible.
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Native Necklaces and Pendants: http://bit.ly/2ESs4Tf
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