About the Seller
Since June 2003, Tumbagas.com has been synonymous with superior Tumbaga—a rare copper-gold alloy celebrated for its beauty and historical significance. Our journey began long before that; in 1991, we defied travel advisories to explore the vibrant cultures and hidden treasures of Central and South America. Our adventures led us to the heart of pre-Columbian art in Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, and Peru, where we uncovered artifacts that few others have ever seen.
Inspired by the masterful metalwork of indigenous peoples—such as the Tairona, Sinu, Calima, and Quimbaya tribes—we immersed ourselves in the diverse artistic traditions that have defined these regions for centuries. Our deep connection with local art dealers and collectors in Colombia further enriches our ability to source rare and authentic pieces.
Our collection ranges from delicate 8-gram relics to impressive 7500-gram masterpieces, each accompanied by comprehensive documentation and certification from the heritage foundations of their countries of origin. This rigorous authentication process not only preserves the legacy of these ancient works but also ensures that our pieces are ethically and legally imported for distribution in the United States.
At Tumbagas.com, we are committed to sharing the timeless artistry of South America with the world—uniting history, culture, and craftsmanship in every extraordinary piece we offer.
Our Official eBay Account
We have an active selection of tumbaga currently on sales in our official eBay account.
Categories
Pendants & Necklaces
Our collection features a diverse range of Tumbaga pendants and necklaces. Any piece with a loop is classified as a pendant—size notwithstanding—with weights starting at a delicate 5 grams and reaching 200 grams or more. Prices typically range from $2.00 to $4.00 per gram. We also offer pectorals—ornate pieces traditionally worn by shamans or royalty—that are valued at $3.00 per gram and up. Due to their popularity, many of these exceptional items are exclusively available on our official eBay page.
Medium Tumbaga
Our medium collection features pieces that are significantly larger than our small inventory. Typically, these tumbaga items measure between 3 and 6-8 inches in height or length and weigh between 200 and 900 grams. Many of these artifacts were historically buried with their owners, adding a profound layer of cultural significance. Prices for these pieces generally start at $2.50 per gram, with variations reflecting rarity and craftsmanship.
Large Tumbaga
Our large Tumbaga collection represents our most substantial and historically significant pieces. Weighing from over 1,000 grams to as much as 10,000 grams, these artifacts were once reserved for tribal royalty and interred with their leaders, underscoring their cultural importance. Prices typically range from $0.90 to $1.25 per gram, with shipping costs varying based on size and your preferred shipping method.
Cultural Categories
Tairona
Tairona was a Pre-Columbian culture of Colombia, which consisted in a group of chiefdoms in the region of Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in present-day Cesar. You will find many Tairona artifacts here.
Calima
Calima culture (200 BCE–400 CE) is a series of pre-Columbian cultures from the Valle del Cauca in Colombia. You will find Calima gold in this category.
Sinu
The Zenú (or Sinú) is a pre-Columbian culture in Colombia, whose ancestral territory comprises the valleys of the Sinú and San Jorge rivers as well as the coast of the Caribbean around the Gulf of Morrosquillo.
Narino
Nariño refers to the culture of people who once lived in communities in the mountains of Nariño, Colombia from 800 to 1500 AD. They also harvested Quinoa and raised Llamas for agriculture and trade.
Quimbaya
Quimbaya
The Quimbaya civilization was a Pre-Columbian culture of Colombia, noted for their gold work characterized by technical accuracy and detailed designs.
Muisca
Quimbaya
The Muisca (or Chibcha) civilization flourished in ancient Colombia between 600 and 1600 CE. Their territory encompassed what is now Bogotá and its environs and they have gained lasting fame as the origin of the El Dorado legend.
Definition of Tumbaga
Tumbaga was used in pre-Columbian times from Mesoamerica as a generic term for any combination of gold and copper.
Tumbaga was widely used by the pre-Columban cultures of mesoamérica to make religious, status and decorative objects as well as antique. Like most gold alloys, tumbaga was versatile and could be cast, drawn, hammered, gilded, soldered, welded, plated, hardened, annealed, polished, engraved, embossed, and inlaid. It could range from 95% copper to 95% gold, although tumbaga or guanin* gold was usually made by adding 10 to 30% copper to gold. Tumbaga usually contains 5 to 10% silver as well, which occurred naturally in the gold and wasn’t intentionally added. The amount of gold used in tumbaga depended on the metal’s availability. Objects from gold-rich areas like Calima and Tolima in Colombia, for instance, contained purer gold while most surviving pieces from the Muisca, Narino, Sinu and Tairona regions were smaller, less pure and depended on gilding for appearance.
There were several reasons tumbaga was popular. A primary one is that 70% gold/30%copper will melt at around 800 C., much lower than gold or copper separately. That’s important because melts were done in large clay pots using a team of men huffing on blowpipes. Molten metal then flowed from a hole in the bottom of the vessel into open molds made from stone or clay. The lost wax casting techniques of these peoples were extremely sophisticated. The lost-wax casting tradition was developed by the peoples of Costa Rica, Panama and Colombia. They routinely cast hollow objects and bi-metal half silver-half gold objects using complex one-time molds made of clay. They moistened and shaped into the desired form. It was dried in the sun for a few days to drive out moisture. Then beeswax was mixed with copal resin (for hardening) and rolled into a thin sheet that was shaped around the clay model “core”. Decorations were then incised into the wax. Depletion gilding was routinely used to decorate the surfaces of objects made from low-gold alloys.
Guanín is an alloy of gold, copper and silver, similar to red gold, used in Metallurgy in pre-columbian Mesoamerica. This is where we -- as art dealers -- come in to bring you the best of these products.