Native American Jewelry Designs
Jewelry designs vary between American Indian tribes, but the differences are much less noticeable than with other crafts. The materials used for making jewelry--beads, copper and silver, shells, amber, ivory, turquoise and other stones--were trade items long before the Europeans came to North America. While few changes have occurred in jewelry making since colonial days, modern tools now make the process simpler.
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Types
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There are two major types of Native American jewelry: beadwork and metalwork. Before influence by the European culture, metalwork was done by hammering and engraving copper into earrings or pendants, or fashioning copper or silver into beads.
European Influence
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One of the main influences the Europeans had on Native American jewelry was the art of silversmithing, which was learned from the Spanish. After Native Americans learned how to work with silver, jewelry making flourished. The Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo Indians began to incorporate their native designs into new forms of jewelry, such as using inlaid stones in rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings.
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Beadwork
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Native American beadwork had already evolved into an advanced art by the time the Europeans arrived. Their main influence was the introduction of easier ways to make the beads. Beadwork traditions varied greatly throughout North America, from the wampum jewelry of the Indians of the eastern United States to the shell and turquoise necklaces made by the Southeast Indians. Since beads were frequently traded, it wasn't uncommon to see something native to the Cherokee Indians displayed on a necklace of the Hopi Indians.
Silver Inlaid Jewelry
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The Indians of the western United States grew to become impressive artisans, incorporating semi-precious and precious stones into their work. Large, intricately decorated silver bracelets and rings are one of their trademarks. The use of turquoise and coral is standard in this industry, along with the use of strategically placed rows of silver beads.
Marketing
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It is against U.S. import laws to sell anything as "Native American" unless it was actually produced by Native Americans. Many Internet sites have an abundance of fake Native American jewelry, so it pays to be cautious when you buy. The adage "you get what you pay for" applies here. No cheap import can come close to the quality of a piece of jewelry that has hundreds of years of tradition and workmanship behind it.
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