Native American Jewelry

<< Previous | 1 | 2 | Next >> Click Image for Details Sterling Silver and Turquoise Men's Ring Sterling Silver and Black Onyx Men's Ring Native American Sterling Silver and Gemstone Belt Buckle & Bolor Tie Set Native American Sterling Silver and Gemstone Bolo Tie Native American Sterling Silver Kachina Bolo Tie Sterling Silver and Gemstone Ring (Sizes 4 to 7) Sterling Silver and Gemstone Ring (Sizes 7 1/2 to 11) Sterling Silver Large Feather Wrap Ring Sterling Silver and Turquoise Cuff Bracelet Native American Silver and Turquoise & Coral Money Clip Sterling Silver Ring with Turquoise and Coral Cabochons Sterling Silver Men's Ring with Turquoise and Coral Cabochons Acoma Handcrafted Pueblo Indian Pottery Sterling Silver Men's Ring with Turquoise and Coral Cabochons Sterling Silver and Turquoise Men's Ring Sterling Silver and Black Onyx Ring Sterling Silver and Turquoise Men's Ring Sterling Silver Men's Ring Authentic Hopi Indian Priest Killer Kachina Doll Indian Artifact Craftsman Cast Iron Throwing Axe Blade Sterling Silver Men's Ring with Turquoise and Coral Cabochons Plains Indian Ceremonial Stone War Club Native American Old Pawn Sterling Silver and Turquoise Bolo Tie Plains Indian Buckskin Beaded Tomahawk Sterling Silver and Lapis Lazuli Men's Ring Plains Indian Ceremonial Stone War Club Blackhawk Beaded Tomahawk Indian Artifact Four Corners Medicine Wheel Dream Catcher Native American Sterling Silver and Black Onyx Watch Tips Native American Sterling Silver and Turquoise Nugget Brooch Pueblo Indian Hand Coiled Pottery Traditional River Reed Ten Flute Pan Pipes << Previous | 1 | 2 | Next >>

Native American Jewelry - A Piece Of History

The early Navajo silver work concentrated on concha (concho) belts, bracelets, bow guards, tobacco flasks and necklaces. Rings, earrings, pins, hair ornaments, buckles and bolos evolved from these. A full line of silver jewelry existed throughout the reservation by the 1880s.

The earliest Navajo work consisted of hammered work with file decoration. Turquoise, a very popular and much respected stone by the Navajo, appeared in silver jewelry around 1880. It is important to note that turquoise, as a jewelry item, had existed for centuries. It had been used in combination with other stones, shells, and metals long before 1880. However, the early Indians glued or otherwise attached the turquoise to the stone, shell or metal. It is known that Mexican silversmiths (plateros) toured the pueblos and Navajo enclaves in the early to mid 1800s selling and trading silver jewelry for Indian products. This is the likely origin of silver ornamentation in the Indian possession prior to about 1860. It is fairly certain that there was no indigenous Navajo or pueblo silver industry.

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