AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY

Native American jewelry, whether Zuni jewelry, Santo Domingo jewelry, Navajo jewelry or other American Indian jewelry, is rooted in silverwork and lapidary work.  An appreciation and understanding can come from first remembering that in the early trade days, beads were central to trade.  Beads were seen as a store of wealth and a way of transferring wealth for necessities or niceties in the future.  Beads were also worn as adornment and as a show of wealth and status.  The timeline may be contended, but as early as 900 A.D. sea shell fragments have been found in the form of beads or chips.

Navajo jewelry, greatly influenced by Mexican silversmiths, was an important store of wealth for trade.  A person could 'invest' hours and raw materials for a piece of jewelry and then 'spend' it later for food.
Central to jewelry is turquoise.  In fact, it is a stone of significance, thought to protect the wearer.  When a crack occurs within the rock it is thought that it has 'shielded' the wearer at its own peril.  Additionally, how you put the turquoise on is important.  With a bracelet, if you put it on with the open end toward you, you are bringing luck.  If you put the bracelet on with the open end away from you, you are 'blocking' bad luck.  Last but not least, it is important that turquoise be 'cleared' when you first acquire it. 

TURQUOISE JEWELRY