Brief History of Native American Jewelry on www.handmadespiritualjewelry.com

Native American jewelry has been made since the prehistoric age. Some Indian jewelry pieces have been dated as far back as 900 B.C. Modern archaeologists have discovered that jewelry was not only worn but also used in trade. Jewelry was an important part of the economy for the early Native American people. Thousands upon thousands of Native American jewelry pieces were found in Chaco Canyon, some of this jewelry had gemstones that do not naturally occur in the southwestern United States. As people traded more and more Native American jewelry styles traveled farther and farther and the different tribes adopted one anothers skills and jewelry making techniques. Jewelry became a status symbol. The greater your jewelry collection, the greater your wealth.

Around the fifteenth century the nomadic Navajo Indian tribe became very instrumental in massively spreading jewelry making styles out to other southwestern Native American tribes. The Navajo were the ones who were in constant contact with the Spanish. It was the Spanish who first taught the Pueblo Indians how to make jewelry with Silver. The Christian crosses and Moorish najas of the Spanish were designs that were readily accepted into Native American jewelry.The Native American jewelry artists made their Silver jewelry by melting down Mexican coins and American coins. Occasionally they'd also melt down Silver tea pots, candle sticks, and other goods.

In 1872, the Navajo Indian tribe spread the craft of Silver jewelry to the Zuni, they took to it quickly due to their prolific copper work. The Zuni then taught Silver jewelry making techniques to the Hopi. Then in 1880 the Navajo Indian jewelry artists began to combine Turquoise with Silver in their jewelry. The ninteenth century also saw the first use of solder in Native American jewelry allowing two separate metal pieces to come together as one. This allowed for greater creativity in stone setting, inlay, and overlay.