Native American Jewelry & Tribes

While the jewelry designed and constructed by diverse Native American tribes share many qualities, such as their love for natural components like silver and turquoise, the history and contemporary jewelry fashions of different tribes have distinguishing characteristics. You can learn more by reading the following articles on some of Native American jewelry's most prolific tribes:

Hopi Jewelry
Navajo Jewelry
Pueblo Jewelry
Zuni Jewelry

The Materials & Gems of Native American Indian Jewelry

Native American jewelry is world-renowned for the variety and intricacy of the designs in their pieces. While there is an endless diversity in their creative expression, it is well-known that Native American jewelry artisans are particularly fond of a small set of gemstones and materials to craft their works of art, most notably turquoise, coral, gaspeite, and silver. You can learn more about the traditions, styles, and usage of these different materials in American Indian jewelry by reading the following articles:

Coral Jewelry
Gaspeite Jewelry
Lapis Jewelry
Opal Jewelry
Silver Jewelry
Spiny Oyster Jewelry
Turquoise Jewelry

Popular Styles of Native American Jewelry

With many different styles and designs, Native American jewelry offers collectors a wide variety of fashions to choose from. Certain jewelry designs, however, are iconic in the American Indian jewelry world, and these specific styles have become trademark items. From the intricate and delicate Heishi jewelry of the Pueblo Indians, to the fetish necklaces of the Zuni Indians that channel the power of animal totems, to the distinct silver overlay style of the Hopi Indians, to the Concho belts popularized by the Navajo, to the Squash Blossom necklaces embraced by many tribes, you can't go wrong adorning yourself in any of these traditional and artistic expressions. Read the guides below for more information about each trademark piece of Native American jewelry:

Concho Belts
Heishi Jewelry
Hopi Silver Overlay
Squash Blossom Necklaces
Fetish Necklaces

Native American Indian Jewelry Guide

For thousands of years, Native Americans from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Coast have employed their local natural resources for manufacturing jewelry.  Utilized for both utilitarian and ornamental purposes, the variations of Native American jewelry are as rich and diverse as the cultures that created them. Tribes of the American Northwest, such as the Nez Perce, used abalone shells, olivella shells, antlers, animal bones and teeth for assembling and decorating jewelry. In the Southwest, an abundance of turquoise allowed the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi to develop the skills necessary to become master artisans of this beautiful gemstone. The Iroquois of the Northeast Woodland tribes were some of the earliest architects of the small cylindrical shell beads of wampum, used for necklaces, belts, and currency.  When Lewis and Clark encountered the Sioux near the banks of the Missouri River, they gave wampum as a gift and used it as trade. Not limited to the production of shells, tribes of the Great Lake region were some of the earliest producers of copper, pounding the metal into bracelets, tubular beads and other forms of Native American jewelry. 

With the introduction of western contact, silver contributed to an already diversified repertoire of Native American Indian jewelry.  During the early nineteenth century, the Spanish introduced the silversmith craft to the Navajo.  Experienced jewelers, the Navajo integrated both old and new concepts to develop some of the most recognizable pieces of jewelry today.  The Navajo are best known for their squash-blossom necklaces, concho belts, and exquisite silver work.  From rings to bracelets, bolos to belt buckles, the Navajo have intertwined the beauty of silver with turquoise and red coral, creating a combination of metal and rocks that have been a prevalent mainstay of Native American jewelry.

The Navajo conveyed their knowledge of metalworking to their southwestern counterparts, the Zuni and Hopi. Zuni jewelers are well known for their fetish necklaces, as well as their work with silver, specifically inlay channel work.  Whereas the Zuni specialize in inlay, the Hopi have concentrated on a form of silver overlay, which uses two pieces of silver in the production of each design.   In an effort to highlight the overlay work, Hopi jewelry such as bracelets tends to keep stones to an absolute minimum.  Today, metals ranging from silver to gold are used for necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, and other forms of jewelry from tribes as varied as the Lakota and Cherokee. 

During the mid twentieth century, a transition occurred regarding the view of Native American jewelry. Whereas previous pieces of jewelry were associated with tribes as a whole, the western consumer and collector of Native American Indian jewelry began to value the individual as an artist.  Already appreciated for its aesthetic value, the respect for the creator allowed for a deeper understanding for each independent work of art. Native American jewelers continue to create some of the most intricate designs in the world today, making their jewelry necessary for both collectors and beginners alike. 

Resources

Coming soon.