Native American Jewellery

Most of the Native American Jewellery that I sell is made by the Navajo tribe.  After Europeans came to America the Navajo learned from the Spanish different European methods of jewellery manufacture.  Before Europeans, the Navajo used beads, shells, copper and silver, ivory , amber , turquoise and other stones in their jewellery, materials which were readily traded between the tribes. After colonization, new techniques such as glass beads and more advanced metal working techniques were incorporated into traditional techniques.

The Navajo are famed for the turquoise jewellery that they produce.  Turquoise jewellery was already in use before colonization took place.  It was used ceremonially as well as for decoration.  Turquoise is a sacred stone to the Navajo as it is mentioned in their creation myth - four sacred stones designated the boundaries of the Navajo homeland.  Abalone and Coral were designated the western boundary, white shell stone the eastern boundary , turquoise was designated the southern boundary and black jet was designated the northern boundary. Turquoise has an important part to play in jewellery, and in mythology, and is a very symbolic stone to the Navajo. As you can see jewellery making has a long history in the Navajo tribe.

All my jewellery is made by genuine Native American artisans.