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Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:34 am
by Pennysaved
Today I stopped at a yard sale and got 2 sterling silver bracelets for $1 a piece and a sterling silver pin with a little girl holding a package for $0.50.

The woman selling me the jewlery said "Looks like you are looking for silver; let me see if there is any more silver in this bag of jewlery"

Paid her with my non-silver half dollars; figure I got around $25 of silver or so; not a bad haul :-)

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:50 am
by Devil Soundwave
Nice buy.

I think we need a permanent thread for this sort of stuff: "I Recieved Today" or something. Peeps wouldn't *have* to post in it if they where concerned about OPSEC or general privacy, but some folk like to share these stories. Pics would be cool too. What do you reckon chaps?

Back on topic - what you planning to do with your jewellery? Sent ot off to Market Harmony perhaps?

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 11:58 am
by jasmatk
Devil Soundwave wrote:Nice buy.

I think we need a permanent thread for this sort of stuff: "I Recieved Today" or something. Peeps wouldn't *have* to post in it if they where concerned about OPSEC or general privacy, but some folk like to share these stories. Pics would be cool too. What do you reckon chaps?

Back on topic - what you planning to do with your jewellery? Sent ot off to Market Harmony perhaps?

i second that...............nice find on the cheap .925

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 12:50 pm
by Pennysaved

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 12:55 pm
by Pennysaved
The Native American bracelet has on the back:

Custom Made Jewlery Don Dewa Zuni, NM Sterling

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:02 pm
by Pennysaved
Maybe I have something that is more than scrap here with this Don Dewa bracelet?

http://pages.prodigy.net/volksware/outdoorsygirl/dondewa.htm

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:11 pm
by Devil Soundwave
It would certainly look that way! Contact the website owner and see what they reckon its worth. :)

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:13 pm
by jasmatk
Pennysaved wrote:Maybe I have something that is more than scrap here with this Don Dewa bracelet?

http://pages.prodigy.net/volksware/outdoorsygirl/dondewa.htm

Id say so.when i first read the post i was thinking of some generic sterling jewlery but it looks like you got a very good deal

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:23 pm
by TXBullion
ooooo, looks like you did a whole lot better than you thought you did, good one pennysaved!

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 1:54 pm
by Devil Soundwave

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:19 pm
by Pennysaved
I know all these prices are retail so I can't get my hopes up too high but my bracelet kind of looks like the one listed at this website:

http://www.thezuniconnection.com/dssbhthezuniconnection12b.html

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:23 pm
by Devil Soundwave
I think you can still expect upwards of $500 for it based on those prices...

Re: Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:36 pm
by Pennysaved
Anyone interested in it let me know :-)

Re: Silver Jewlery at yard sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:50 pm
by Treetop
Pennysaved wrote:The Native American bracelet has on the back:

Custom Made Jewlery Don Dewa Zuni, NM Sterling


Dont mean to knock your find here, but theres a solid chance its not .925 I live pretty close to the zuni reservation. Ive known a few artisans from that tribe and other ones. what I was told by several is that 1 dollar face of silver 90 percent is an ounce of pure silver. they then add a copper penny to that. So it must be somewhere in the 80 percent silver range or a bit lower....... Not sure how common that is, or if they all do it. but I WAS told by 3 who do that, that is the way all the tribes do it according to them. They got pretty mad at me actually when I tried to tell them, you cant dilute 90percent silver to get it to .925.....

that said, since there was a name on it, he must be one of the better know artisans there, which means if you found the right buyer, you could likely sell it for a hefty price. they sure do in zuni anyway...... (although most of those artisans get terrible prices)

Re: Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 2:53 pm
by Treetop
I had not read the new replies before I posted this.... Yeah if you find the right buyer, since it is one of the known artisans, you will get well over the silver value......

the prices on the site are VERY high. i think whoever is running it is shooting for the moon. If you go into the stores in zuni, they will hound you every few minutes asking if your ready to buy. If your there for 15 minutes or so, they will then tell you everything is half off. This happened to me nearly every time I went.

I never did understand why so few of these artists sell their own wares, they get a tiny fraction of those prices, but certainly you can sell it for well over what you paid......

Re: Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:16 pm
by Pennysaved
Yeah I totally understand that those prices are probably way overinflated.

Just cool to find something like that for $1. Of course, I was lucky; I was just looking for scrap sterling jewlery. Had no idea who Don Dewa was.

Re: Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Sat Nov 20, 2010 3:24 pm
by Treetop
Yeah it is really neat...... If I knew more locals, I might know a good place for you to sell it, but i dont..... Probably a place in albuquerque or sante fe, that in theory you could find online, might be a place to sell it?

Thats the kinda thing you need a specific buyer, but Id certainly wait until I found the right buyer, since youve only got a buck into it.

Re: Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 11:56 am
by Pennysaved
I emailed several companies selling Don Dewa jewlery this was one of the responses I got

Hi David,

Nice bracelet. Thanks for the offer but I am not making any purchases right now

if you purchased that bracelet new today it would cost about $600-700. Sorry I don't have anyone to direct you to. Check online..like you found me..

Re: Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Mon Nov 22, 2010 12:00 pm
by Devil Soundwave
Sweet, so even at a conservative half price you'll still be THE WINNER. :)

Re: Don Dewa Native American Silver Jewlery at Yard Sale

PostPosted: Tue Nov 23, 2010 8:55 am
by Heartkill
Sweet find. My wife got a .925 liquid silver and turquoise bracelet with matching earrings at Goodwill for $2. A jewelry appraiser estimated its value at $150 but we've had no luck trying to flip it for even $50. Good luck with yours and again nice pick up!