Every business has its own vernacular language, and the antique Indian art business is no different. We as dealers sometimes assume that what we say is understandable to everyone, when in fact a little dictionary would sometimes be quite helpful. So, as a public service, here is a listing of terms that we in the biz use that you may run into sometimes, and their real-world definitions:
Tranny--definitely not what it means in the bigger world. A transitional blanket, woven by a Navajo weaver between 1880 and 1905. Made from handspun wools, often in an eye-dazzler pattern.
Stoplight ring--a Navajo ring with three round turquoise, set vertically like in a stoplight.
Salt and pepper beadwork--beadwork done with a random pattern of colors, rather than in a specific pattern.
Diamond slot First Phase--an early Navajo concho belt, with a diamond shaped opening with a central bar so that the leather can be threaded through the concho. These were made before soldering was a common practice amongst the Navajo, because after that, loops were soldered on to the back of conchos to hold the leather.
Height bracelet or ring--a bracelet or ring with stones set in differing heights. This was a specialty of Charles Loloma, who invented the technique and used it to represent mesas and landscapes. Not a common technique, but when done well it is very striking and beautiful.
Fishscale inlay--a Zuni technique of channel inlay where the stones are set in small, curved pieces. The resulting effect is very much like a fishscale pattern.
Sawtooth bezel--a silver bezel with hand-cut serrations resembling the teeth of a saw blade. Normally found in early (pre-1930) Navajo silverwork.
Heavy Harvey jewelry--tourist-trade oriented jewelry that is heavier than the usual very thin, badly made jewelry that was sold to tourists before 1940. Unlike much tourist trade jewelry, Heavy Harvey pieces are hand-made, and often incorporate good turquoise.
Windowpane earrings--early (usually) earrings where a turquoise tab is edge-wrapped in silver to produce a windowpane effect on both sides.
Blank--a commercially made casting mold, often used in lower-end jewelry to produce cast pieces. Pieces made from blanks will be even and precise and will show up multiple times. Pieces from hand-carved casting molds will show the slight imperfections of all hand-made things and will often be totally unique.
Shiprock Yei--a Navajo weaving with a white background, incorporating Yei holy figures and often cornplants. Most were woven in the Four Corners region, an area dominated by Shiprock.
Crow pink--a shade of pink beads that was especially favored in the work of the Crow people.
Cutter--a Navajo weaving that is so damaged that its only use is to be cut up and used for pillows or in jacket inserts.
Resto--short for restoration.
Beader--a piece of beadwork that is damaged beyond repair and is normally used as a "bead mine" to fix other pieces.
Whitehearts--early red beads with a white center.
Dance bead--a bead, usually turquoise, that has been attached to a necklace to show that it has been worn in a dance or ceremony.
Burn--as in, "to burn a piece". That is, to expose a piece to the market at an unrealistic high price. A pet peeve of reputable dealers.
That is all for now, but we will rack our brains searching for other entries. If you know of any that we have neglected, please let us know!
