How to Spot Fake Native American Jewelry

The market for fake and misrepresented Native American jewelry is substantial. A significant percentage of jewelry marketed as Native American — in tourist shops, online marketplaces, at shows, and even in some galleries — is imported, made by non-Native artists, or produced in factories with no connection to any Native American tradition. For buyers who care about authenticity, knowing how to identify genuine work is not optional. Here is what we know from decades in this market.

The Law: The Indian Arts and Crafts Act

The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes it a federal offense to misrepresent non-Native-made products as Native American-made. Only jewelry made by a member of a federally recognized tribe can legally be marketed as "Native American," "Indian-made," or equivalent designations. Violations carry penalties of up to $250,000 and five years in prison for first offenses.

The law exists because the problem is real and documented. It does not, however, enforce itself. Buyers need practical tools to protect their own purchases.

The Hallmark Test

The single most reliable indicator of authentic, artist-made Native American jewelry is a hallmark. A maker's mark stamped or engraved into the silver by the individual artist who made the piece. A present, identifiable, research-able hallmark from a reputable source is strong evidence of authenticity.

Look for the hallmark on the inside of a cuff, the back of a pendant, or the inside of a ring shank. It may be very small. Photograph it under magnification if you need to research it later.

What to do with a hallmark you find: The Heard Museum in Phoenix maintains one of the most comprehensive hallmark registries for Navajo and Pueblo silversmiths. The Indian Arts and Crafts Association (IACA) maintains a registry of registered member artists. A quick search of either resource can confirm or investigate an attribution.

Every artist piece at Turquoise Mustang is attributed and hallmark-identified. The Repousse Cuff by Gene Nataan carries his hallmark and our attribution, backed by direct artist relationships built over many decades.

The Silver Test

Genuine Native American silverwork is made in sterling silver (92.5% silver, stamped 925 or "Sterling") or, in traditional work, fine silver or coin silver. Look for the silver mark — typically stamped somewhere on the piece alongside or separate from the artist's hallmark.

Red flags:

• White metal with no silver stamp — may be German silver (an alloy with no silver content), alpaca, or pot metal
• Plated silver — a thin silver coating over base metal, not found in authentic handcrafted work
• Unusually light weight for the apparent size — suggests thin or hollow construction inconsistent with traditional handmade work

The Stone Test

Genuine turquoise is cool and dense to the touch. Plastic warms quickly. Real stone will not be scratched by a fingernail. Under magnification, genuine turquoise shows microcrystalline structure; plastic does not. Matrix that looks too perfect, too uniform, or too regular may be painted on — real matrix is geological and irregular.

The Construction Test

Handmade jewelry shows the marks of hand production. Stamp placement is slightly irregular. Bezels are formed individually around each stone. Solder marks are visible at joins under magnification. The surface quality of handwork is different from machine production in ways that are difficult to describe but unmistakable when you have handled enough of both.

Mass-produced imported pieces show perfect uniformity, no solder marks, light weight, and a mechanical finish. When you have held a genuine Darryl Becenti repousse cuff and then held a mass-produced look-alike, the difference is immediate and total.

The Provenance Test

Buy from dealers with documented, direct relationships with artists. Turquoise Mustang has carried Native American jewelry for decades, buying directly from artists and their families, maintaining artist attribution on every piece, and standing behind the authenticity of everything we sell. Len's road to this business started in Albuquerque in 1969 when he bought his first piece of turquoise — and that direct, hands-on approach has never changed.

Read more: How to Identify Authentic Native American Jewelry — The Complete Guide. Browse the Native American Collection.