Restoring a Family Heirloom
I found this beautiful silver and turquoise necklace when I was going through old jewelry at my mom's house.
I remember this necklace. I used to play dress-up with it when I was little. It belonged to my dad. I can't remember if it was something passed down to him from his mother or one of his aunts, or one of the many strange and beautiful things he picked up used at flea markets in the sixties. Sadly, I can't ask him because he left the world last October.
Either way, it is gorgeous, and I asked my mom if I could take it home and try to restore it as much as possible, and maybe wear it sometimes. She gave her permission, so I took it home.
The necklace is missing all of its tiny turquoise stones that go around the large stone in the center, and also several of the stones that were set above the leaves on the sides are missing. I don't think I'll be able to replace them without paying a bunch of money that I don't have right now, but I think the necklace is lovely (and wearable) even with the missing stones. What it really needed was a good polish.
I had planned to buy some silver polish for the job, but I was reminded by a friend that toothpaste does a good job of polishing silver. So I stood at the bathroom sink for about an hour last night, gently scrubbing the years of tarnish away with a soft bristle toothbrush and a tube of Tom's of Maine. It took three scrubs to get it looking like this:
I'm pretty pleased with the transformation. It still looks decidedly antique, but now it shines a bit, and you can more easily see the delicate details. I'll definitely be wearing it next time I go somewhere fancy.
Does anyone have an idea of how old this necklace might be? I imagine that southwestern/Native American jewelry styles didn't change much during the last century, but I could be totally off base. Dating it might help me figure out whether it's a true O'Hara family heirloom or someone else's family heirloom, rescued from a flea market in south Florida.
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It's beautiful. I am from originally from Arizona and a lover of all things turquoise and silver :) The design looks modern era, can you find an artists stamp anywhere on the piece?
There's no artist's mark, unfortunately. I do know it's at least between fifty and sixty years old. If Dad picked it up at a flea market it was most likely already used. My mom said she never wore it, and I remember it already being very tarnished when I played with it as a child.
Yeah, that style of native jewelry was super popular in the 50's-60's. It most likely had a matching set of earrings and a bracelet, or the artists would have made the set at the same time. The hook and clasp look like standard "squash blossom" details. Outside of the dry southwest, silver will tarnish in a matter of months so keep your Tom's handy :) The turquoise is not Arizona's "Bisbee Blue" so it may have originated in New Mexico or Utah.
Fun stuff, thanks for sharing.
Yep, that settles it then. Definitely a thrift store find. :)
Thank you for your help! This is one of the things I love so much about the Steem community. Ask a question, get an informed answer within an hour!
What a beautiful necklace friend
I agree with you if it is a relic and more when it belongs to the family is the best value
That is a beautiful piece of jewelry, repairing/replacing missing parts can turn into a hunt that takes years.
Really beautiful.