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Indian Jewelry: Turquoise
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Primitive Indian jewelry was composed from materials such as bone, teeth, shells, beads, and other natural items. Beading was one of the most important styles of jewelry. Once the Native Americans began trading with the colonists, they began adding glass beads to their jewelry making crafts. Today, many authentic jewelry pieces are made from silver, turquoise, and glass beads.
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Although Indian Jewelry comes without turquoise, this blue/green mineral is a key andmuch-coveted component. It’s the signature element. And, the older and rarer, the better. As a gemstone, turquoise has been around over 8,000 years. The Egyptians were mining it in 6,000 BC and considered it to have mystical, metaphysical and healing qualities as did many other ancient cultures. Asians (and the Zuni) thought it protected them from evil. Apaches believed it helped them on the hunt.
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Navajo Indian turquoise jewelry from Navajorug.com is as versatile as it is timeless. With the rising popularity of boho chic, handmade turquoise and coral jewelry is especially wearable. Women can wear Navajo jewelry from day to night. During the day, an intricate turquoise necklace and bracelet brighten up office wear; at night, these same pieces add pretty charm to dresses, blouses, or sweaters.
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Because it has become a booming industry, Indian jewelry and turquoise have attracted a lot of copycats, especially from Middle Eastern countries. Here are some things to watch for, beginning with the old caveat, “Buyer Beware.” If the price is too good to be true, don’t buy. Less than one percent of turquoise is “gem quality,” with a price of well above $50 a carat. Much of the “turquoise” you see on the market today (especiallly if it is inexpensive) is made with chips or “chalk." It is soft, porous and brittle and has been “stabilized” with resins to seal it and dyed to improve color. Neither treatment will hold up in the long run.
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Prehistoric Indians mined turquoise and turned it into jewelry — primarily drilled beads and other hanging ornaments. However, archeological findings include appliqué on shell and other rock, which means that turquoise was probably used with wood for ear decoration as well (the wood would have deteriorated). Extensive evidence of prehistoric mining operations has been found in several areas: the Cerillos and Burro Mountain regions of New Mexico, the Kingman and Morenci regions of Arizona, and the Conejos area of Colorado. Turquoise jewelry found in southern Mexico and in excavated mounds east of the Mississippi has been identified as originating from New Mexico’s Cerillos mining area. This article focuses on Southwestern mining localities.
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Soon, the Harvey Company was commissioning Indian-style machine-made jewelry. Indians may or may not have been employed for the handwork on these assembly-line pieces. Other manufacturers followed, producing earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, pins, money clips, commemorative spoons and other trinkets. Collectors of this souvenir jewelry--often called "Harvey House" or "workshop jewelry"--look for its machined-tooled precision and uniformity, affectation of an Indian style, and relative delicate lines. The pieces were generally small, sized to sell cheaply. Turquoise, when used, was treated or coated to harden and enhance color.
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Turquoise