Native American Jewelry

Simple, natural materials abounded around the early Indians. Using shells found on the beach to make beads, porcupine quills, and items such as seeds, Native American jewelry developed as an art form. Necklaces and earrings were often made of shell, carved and engraved with various images. Men, women and children all wore this lovely jewelry. With the advancement of the Europeans, however, body adornment through the means of jewelry, rapidly spread. This helped to lead to the development of the distinctive silver jewelry of the American Southwest which is well known today.

Although the jewelry created from natural items was very lovely, when the artists of the Navajo and Hopi tribes saw Mexican silver work, they knew they had to learn how to work with metals. These native people often bartered their livestock for lessons, in order to become skilled in working with silver. They soon made silver work their own by taking what they had learned back to the pueblo and village. A distinctive and beautiful style evolved from this beginning. Incorporating turquoise and other semi precious stones into the silver, Native American jewelry is simply unmistakable. Silver jewelry in earlier times was made by sand casting or by cutting and hammering. The last method involves the use of a forge to melt the silver, then pouring the molten silver into a mold made of sandstone. Native American jewelry created in this way involves a great deal of finishing work afterwards.

The centuries old tradition of jewelry crafting is alive and well today. Artists of great skill still create Native American jewelry in many styles. While the use of silver has become very popular, especially among the Indians of the Southwest, the Hopi and Navajo have become especially renowned. Generally of a low quality, much of what is sold as Native American jewelry is simply mass produced in factories. It is best to try to find pieces created by hand by true Indian artisans when looking for Native American jewelry to purchase.

One of the most easily recognized articles of Native American jewelry would probably be silver belts. Besides belts, necklaces, rings, bracelets, and earrings are among the many types of jewelry available. Oddly, unlike many Native American art forms, Navajo jewelry often has no symbolic meaning; it is simply created to be beautiful. The Apache stand out in terms of creativity and skill among the other tribes renowned for their jewelry. This attention to detail is still being carried on today by Native American artists from many tribes. When considering buying Native American jewelry, it is best to purchase pieces that are made by Indian artists. Centuries of skill and tradition will be found in each item. Silver jewelry accented with semi precious stones, add just the right touch to casual dress. Even more formal attire can be embellished with the proper pieces of Native American jewelry.

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