The oldest known Native American antiques are said to date back 8,500 years ago. Native Americans are known for their durable but beautifully crafted items. Specifically, their antique pottery and jewelry can be worth a lot depending on the item and if the antique can be authenticated. While it is sometimes hard to Identify these antiques from their more modern replicas, there are a few tricks that may help you decide whether to have your item appraised by professionals.
When it comes to native American pottery, there are a few ways to identify if it is real or not. The first thing to look for is whether the pot is hand-crafted. You will be able to tell if the item is made by hand by looking for carvings, stamped designs, and any small irregularities that are bound to be on a homemade pot. Identifying the material used to create the pottery is another indicator as to whether it is real or not. Native Americans would use clay mixed with other materials, such as sand grass fibers, to create their pots. Additionally, another way to authenticate a Native American pottery piece is to see whether the artwork on the pottery matches a specific tribe’s style. Each tribe had a different way of decorating their pottery. Some would glaze their pots, while others would use a horsehair technique to create indents on them. If you know which tribe your pottery is from, make sure its decorations match up with their typical art style.
Native American jewelry is another popular antique to collect. When identifying these pieces, it is important to look for materials used, the designs created, and the quality of the jewelry. Many Native American tribes were known for their beautiful beadwork. They would break off pieces of shells and stones to make beads that they would string along a leather cord to make all different types of jewelry. If a beaded piece of jewelry is truly antique, then there will be small irregularities within the size and shape of beaded items. Specific designs were also incorporated into pieces of jewelry to send a message to rival clans as well as members of their own clan. If you believe a piece of Jewelry is an antique Native American one, look for common patterns found among specific clans in the area that the piece was said to originate from. Lastly, make certain to look at the quality of the gems and stones being used. Oftentimes, Native Americans would wear gems to show their status, and so these gems would be of high quality. Thus, when looking for authentic antique Native American Jewelry, make sure the quality of the material used is high.
As you can see, there are a few tricks that you can use to help identify whether a piece of Native American pottery or jewelry is antique or not. If after reading this article you believe you may have an authentic Native American antique, then you might want to consider getting it appraised by a professional to get a true value price for the item. Contact us today at Prestige Estate Services if you have an antique that you would like appraised!