Indian Jewelry

Indian jewelry is unique as its design is based on thousands of years of culture and history. As well, each piece carries a special meaning.

Indian jewelry incorporates both metalwork and beadwork in its design and the history of Indian jewelry can be traced as far back as 200 BCE. Our modern society has done a very good job marketing Indian jewelry as we can find it on everything from our belt buckles to our lighters. Indian jewelry, however, is not for simple decoration and it carries both spiritual meaning and stories of history. Beadwork, for example, carries symbols and patterns that tell stories. The use of turquoise and silver in jewelry is another way of conveying spiritual meaning. The traditions of Indian jewelry have been passed down for generations. The elders and craftsmen would pass on their skills to the next generation as a means of preserving their rich heritage.

The style and design of Indian jewelry also varies from tribe to tribe and from nation to nation. Each culture has a certain touch that they use in their designs, but the underlying meaning is the same for all. The culture of the Native American Indian can be seen in the style of the jewelry. The Zuni Indians use a mosaic style, which includes the use of needlepoint and petit point with stones and shells. The Hopi Indians are silversmiths, while the Santo Domingo Indians prefer making beaded jewelry. Beaded jewelry was very important as a trade item during the early settler’s period and is still one of the most popular mass-market goods today.

Indian jewelry is much more than what we see in the window of a store. In fact, it is something that lets us look into the window of a culture.