For your consideration are Vintage Navajo Diné Old Pawn Silver Turquoise Pendant Necklaces (4). The term Old Pawn (aka "dead pawn") originated from the turn of the last century, as Navajo’s (as well as other tribes) would pawn personal items in trade for supplies. These personal items were very-well made pieces that often would go unclaimed (as pawn is a loan with interest added), which then would be called dead pawn. What makes old pawn jewelry so special is that this is the jewelry the Native Americans made for themselves and wore as adornment and a display of wealth that was often passed down in families over generations. Navajo silversmiths are recognized for their artistic creations in a variety of forms using silver and turquoise. One of the first Native American Indian metal smiths was a Navajo known as Atsidi Sani who learned to form black metal from a Mexican blacksmith around 1865. Later, in the 1880s, J.L. Hubbell hired several Mexican Silversmiths to teach the craft to Navajos at his Trading Post in Ganado, Arizona. The Navajo Silversmiths learned to cast Silver in sandstone or tufa as well as produce hand-hammered work. The necklaces feature centre bezel mounted turquoise cabochons with one necklace featuring turquoise and red coral cabochons. Three necklaces feature liquid silver strands, two have braided silver rope. All four necklaces are in good overall preserved conditions. Two measure 10"L, one 8.5"L, and the last is 11"L. Collective weight is 26.8 grams.