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 >>

History Of Native American Jewelry Making

This Southwestern style has been a unique product of the "First People" ever since silverwork was introduced to the Navajo Indian Atsidi Saani who learned about blacksmithing at Ft. Defiance, Arizona in the 1850’s.

The Navajo Indians later introduced the art to the Zuni Indians approximately 125 years ago. After returning to their lands in 1868 following their 4 year internment, the Navajos began to adapt and learn how to silversmith among themselves. In the 1880- 1900, they gradually obtained the tools and sources of silver from various traders and the Fred Harvey Company. From these crude beginnings, the art  slowly evolved to the highly polished silver pieces representative of today’s market. Today Indian crafts are recognized worldwide as a dynamic and exquisite artform indigenous to the culture and heritage of the Indian tribes in the Southwestern United States.

Each of the distinctive, Hopi, Zuni and Navajo silversmiths have a style unique to themselves. The Hopi Indians produce an overlay style; they cut a design out of a flat piece of silver, joining that piece to another piece and then oxidizing the inside of the first piece in a base relief pattern.

Traditional or the more familiar Navajo Indian pieces consists of various types of blue or green turquoise set in an intricate handmade silver piece of artwork; squash blossom necklaces, concha belts and beaded strand or stone fetish necklaces are popular examples of this traditional style. On the other hand, traditional Zuni type emphasizes the use of stones and shell held together within the sterling silver design. Zuni artists are renowned for their channel inlay patterns of multi-colored stones and shell meticulously crafted and united together in aesthic color patterns.

The traditional turquoise used in Indian crafts comes in several different shades of blue and green from several different sources. These sources include Blue Verde turquoise from the Old Vega Mine in Nevada, Lone Mountain turquoise from Tonopah, Nevada, Sleeping Beauty and Morenci (sky blue color) turquoise from the copper mines in Arizona, Persian turquoise from Iran (this is the standard by which other turquoise is compared with), and the richly veined greenish Chinese turquoise from China and Tibet.

The contemporary inlayed silver collections, popularized by the "Santa Fe style" sold to the "jet set" and ski crowds in the art galleries and shops in Santa Fe and Taos, originated from and is established by the Navajo and Zuni Indian silversmiths from the Four Corners region of New Mexico and Arizona. This contemporary inlayed bracelets, earring and pendants consists of a pattern of different colored stones or shells usually separated by a strip of silver bezel laid in handmade pieces. Each individual stone or shell is painstakingly hand cut, press fitted together, sanded level and then polished to form a seamless mosaic of color. In addition to the different types of turquoise, contemporary style inlayers use blue lapis lazuli from Afghanistan, purple sugilite from South Africa, green malachite from African, black jet from Utah, pink, red and orange coral from the Mediterranean, green snail shell from the Philippines and various other seashells including mother of pearl, spiny oyster, pink shell, white shell, melon shell, and red abalone from the Gulf of Mexico and Pacific Ocean. Contemporary arts reflect the efforts of the Indian silversmith/lapidarian to express an artistic aspiration of his culture and heritage to the world in terms of its beauty, richness, meticulous workmanship and charm.

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