Can anyone help identify anything about this old piece?

[treasuresoftime419]

Can anyone help identify anything about this old piece? Type of turquoise, age, Native American tribe, and if this is a maker's mark ?

[rubiano98]

I'd suggest cleaning up the metal on the back (sterling? alpaca?) just enough to be able to read the incised markings. Use a Sunshine cloth if you have one.

[rubiano98]

Just an FYI.

There is quite a bit of copper in the turquoise, which is nice. Turquoise is a by-product of copper mining.

[treasuresoftime419]

Thank you. I will do some more cleaning in that area as I did alot just to get it to this point yet didn't want to take away all the patina.....Sterling.

[mforjan]

Tarnish is not patina, a gentle cleaning will not hurt the piece at all