Identify a Hallmark by Its Shape
Don't know the letters? Start with what the mark looks like and compare the closest recorded marks.
How do I identify a Navajo, Zuni, Hopi or Pueblo maker's mark?
To identify a maker's mark on Navajo, Zuni, Hopi or Pueblo jewelry or pottery, find every stamp or signature, set aside quality stamps such as STERLING or .925, decide whether the mark is letters, a name or a symbol, then compare it with recorded marks. A match points to a recorded maker; it does not prove who made a piece.
- Find every stamp. Check the back of the piece: the inside of a band or cuff, the reverse of a pendant, or the base of a pot. Good light and magnification help with small or worn marks.
- Set aside quality and decorative stamps. STERLING, .925 and COIN describe the metal, and a repeated stamped pattern is decoration. What remains, usually initials, a name or a small symbol, is the maker's mark.
- Say what the mark looks like. Pick the closest shape below: letters, a name, a sun, a bear or paw, a feather, a figure, a pottery signature. If you can read letters, type them too.
- Compare the pictures. Open the closest entries and compare the photograph or our drawing with your mark (where we have neither, the entry shows the recorded mark text set in type, not a picture of the mark). Short initials are shared by several makers, so treat a match on letters alone as a lead.
1407 recorded marks to compare. Prefer to search by name or browse A to Z? Use the hallmark reference, or read our guide to reading hallmarks.
A recorded mark is a lead to a maker, not proof of who made a piece. This reference is informational only. We do not offer an authentication service for hallmarks or for pieces bought elsewhere; we authenticate only the items we sell. The Humiovi is not affiliated with the artists listed.
1. What does the mark look like?
Pick the closest shape. Choose it again to clear it.
- Letters or initialsOne to four letters, such as RB or L.G.Y.719 marks
- Full name or signatureA family name or a signed name577 marks
- Sun or sunriseSun face, rays, sunrise, moon or star24 marks
- Bear or pawA bear, a bear paw or a paw print19 marks
- Feather or arrowA feather, an arrow or arrowhead31 marks
- Cloud, rain or lightningRain clouds, rain lines or a lightning bolt17 marks
- Corn or plantsA corn plant, flower or other plant28 marks
- AnimalsAntelope, bird, spider, tadpole and others57 marks
- Human figure or kachinaA person, kachina, Kokopelli or a hand8 marks
- Geometric, cross or spiralCross, spiral, zigzag, diamond, house or clan symbol41 marks
- Pottery signatureA potter's name, often with the pueblo249 marks
2. Narrow it down (optional)
Leave out STERLING, STER and .925: they describe the metal, not the maker.
Closest recorded marks
Choose a shape or type letters to see matching marks
Questions about reading hallmarks
How do I tell the maker's mark from the other stamps?
Find the maker's mark and read it apart from any quality stamp, then compare it with recorded marks. A maker's mark is usually initials, a name or a symbol; a word such as STERLING beside it describes the metal, not the maker. This reference records 1407 marks, 300 with a photograph of the stamp and 39 with our own drawing of the mark, so you can compare what you see by shape as well as by letters.
What if the mark is a symbol, not letters?
Choose the shape that looks closest, such as a sun, a bear paw or a feather, and compare the pictures. Not every stamped design is a maker's mark: the Heard Museum notes that Navajo smiths made stamps from iron tools and that stamping became the primary method of decorating silver, so a pattern repeated around a piece is decoration, not a signature.
Do STERLING or .925 tell me who made a piece?
No. They state the silver content, not the maker. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides, “sterling” may be used only for silver at least 925/1,000 pure, and “coin silver” only for silver at least 900/1,000 pure. Leave these words out when you type the letters of a mark.
Does a matching mark prove who made my piece?
No. A mark tells you who it is recorded for; it is not a certificate. In this reference, 104 mark texts are recorded for more than one entry, and 273 entries are recorded only as a possible attribution. The FTC advises buyers to get written proof of any claims a seller makes about the authenticity or origin of an item, and federal law makes it unlawful to sell a good in a manner that falsely suggests it is Indian produced.
Sources: FTC, Buying American Indian Arts and Crafts; 18 U.S.C. § 1159