Diné (Navajo) Sterling Silver Round Pin/Pendant [SOLD]

This round concha-style pin/pendant combination bears the UITA mark which is a guarantee that it was made under the auspices of the United Indian Trader's Association, an organization begun for the purpose of promoting better relations between Indian traders, dealers and Native Americans. UITA was a voluntary organization founded in 1931 by a group of Indian traders dedicated to creating a system for guaranteeing that only the finest-quality Indian handmade silver jewelry would be sold in its various members’ Trading Posts.

Before it could be sold, each UITA-inspected and approved piece of jewelry was stamped with the coveted UITA trade mark—the capital letters U I T A with an upright arrowhead design in between the first two letters and the last two—and also with a specific numeric code which was assigned by the organization to each member trading post.

This pin/pendant bears the stamp is UITA21, the code assigned to the Indian trader Julius Gans Southwest Arts and Crafts Company of Santa Fe, which means that it was originally made for sale and likely sold in Santa Fe sometime in the early 1930s. UITA-stamped jewelry is quite properly considered extremely collectible today.

The Southwest Arts & Crafts Company was established by Santa Fe trader Julius Gans in 1916. Beginning in 1920, Gans employed a number of in-house Native silversmiths to make jewelry for his shop. Among these were the already extremely talented and well-known Navajo jewelers, Ambrose Roanhorse, Sam Roanhorse, Mark Chee and others who would eventually go on to fame and renown such as Frank Patania, Joe Quintana, Silviano Quintana and David Taliman.

The individual silversmith’s name was generally not stamped on such items of jewelry, but the UITA21 stamp and Sterling were.  That is the case with this pin/pendant.  It is stamped UITA21 and Sterling.  The domed concha-style pin/pendant has a four-loop design constructed of silver wire and centered by a silver drop.  The edges are scalloped and stamped.

Condition: original condition

Provenance: from the collection of a gentleman from Georgia

Referemce: UITA information from Fine Arts of the Southwest, Inc.