| The Beautiful blue and green hues of turquoise have | | | | they were discontinued for the most part by most |
| long been prized by the Native American peoples of | | | | Indian artisans for requiring too much work and too |
| the southwestern part of the USA. Entire cultures | | | | much turquoise. |
| were built on mining turquoise and crafting sacred and | | | | In the 1920's and 1930's, the concho belt changed |
| special items from the attractive stone in areas which | | | | from a simple silver belt to a more ornate belt with |
| are now part of both New Mexico and Nevada. | | | | one to multiple turquoise stones in all the individual |
| American Indian peoples were making necklace | | | | sections of the belt. The tourist jewelry of that era |
| strands and other turquoise jewelry by hand many | | | | is highly collectable today. It began to be noticed that |
| centuries before the first European settlers arrived. | | | | sales of Native American jewelry had significant |
| Because turquoise was so highly prized, it was widely | | | | potential to provide a reliable income source to tribal |
| exchanged and circulated among the Native peoples | | | | members across Arizona and New Mexico. During |
| of the Americas, and the each of the tribes | | | | those years, schools and classes were established at |
| developed their own unique names for the striking | | | | several reservations to train young men in the trade |
| blue stone. Scientific testing has proven that some | | | | of making Native American style Sterling and |
| ancient beads found in central and South America | | | | turquoise jewelry. In the following decades, many |
| were originally dug from the Cerrillos turquoise mines | | | | very talented artists came out of these schools. |
| near Santa Fe, New Mexico. | | | | During the years following WWII, many Americans |
| When the Europeans brought the technology of | | | | traveled across the country, and on their trips |
| working metals like silver with them to the new | | | | through the Arizona-New Mexico area, discovered |
| world, the American Indians who learned the silver | | | | that local traders had rooms full of this Native |
| smith trade learned eventually began to add turquoise | | | | American jewelry, which the traders called pawn |
| with the silver to develop their own special style of | | | | pieces. Most of these were jewelry pieces the Indian |
| jewelry. A Zuni man by the name of Kineshde is | | | | people made for themselves and pawned for one of |
| believed to be the first to add turquoise to the hand | | | | two reasons: either they needed money, or it was |
| crafted silver items he was making in the late 1800s. | | | | considered a safe storage place. As a result of the |
| Turquoise first came into popular high fashion in the | | | | popularity of these pawn pieces, a host of trading |
| US during the early 1890s, but Persian turquoise was | | | | posts sprang up in the Southwest and knowledge of |
| the focus of the demand at that time, and only a | | | | this unique style of jewelry became much more |
| few deposits of high quality turquoise were known in | | | | widespread. New jewelry was also created to meet |
| the US. In the following years, a number of high | | | | the growing tourist demand. Those who appreciated |
| quality deposits previously worked by Native | | | | the beautiful American turquoise began to recognize |
| Americans were "rediscovered", and shortly after | | | | the general differences in matrix patterns and color, |
| 1900 and Americans began to recognize that | | | | etc. between the different mine sources. During this |
| American turquoise from the Western US was the | | | | time, which extended to the early 1950's, turquoise |
| equal of any in the world. Interest again began to | | | | began to be named, for sales purposes, after the |
| peak around 1908-1910, and a considerable amount of | | | | mine in which it was found, such as Lone Mountain, |
| American turquoise was mined, especially in Nevada. | | | | Royston, Blue Gem, and others. |
| The majority of the Turquoise jewelry produced | | | | An increasing number of American Indians continued |
| prior to 1910 was made by well-known jewelry | | | | to handcraft silver jewelry in the 1950s and early |
| manufacturing companies like Tiffany's, and was | | | | 1960's in the traditional way. Up to that time their |
| produced in the standard Victorian styles of those | | | | work was generally popular only in the southwest |
| times. | | | | region of the US, but the increasing amount of |
| None of this was what we would recognize as Indian | | | | material available began to enable a larger audience to |
| style turquoise jewelry. There were a few Native | | | | see and appreciate this beautiful style of jewelry art. |
| Americans making turquoise and silver pieces in what | | | | Even so, it did not become widely popular across the |
| we now see as the traditional style, but they | | | | entire US until the late 1960's and early 1970's. At |
| produced very few pieces and their very simple tools | | | | that time the simple and natural beauty of turquoise |
| increased the man hours each piece needed for | | | | jewelry became the rage of the American fashion |
| completion. That era was essentially the dawn of the | | | | scene. The prices of the old pawn jewelry rocketed |
| traditional styles for silver-turquoise jewelry. America's | | | | upward, and a craze for Indian turquoise jewelry |
| fascination with turquoise and genuine Indian Jewelry | | | | swelled and boosted demand (and prices) for |
| really began in earnest during the 1920's when more | | | | turquoise to previously undreamed levels. |
| people from outside the southwest began to see the | | | | The increased prices and demand caused the |
| beauty of this artistic jewelry. At that time, the | | | | re-opening of many mines and the import of Indian |
| Harvey House restaurant chain opened a number of | | | | "style" jewelry made by manufacturers in Mexico, |
| facilities across the southwest during the great days | | | | Taiwan, and the Philippines. In time, the market |
| of popular rail travel across the US. At first, Indian | | | | became glutted, the consumer was confused by |
| Jewelry was only sold as curios in the restaurants for | | | | overpriced synthetic, stabilized and plastic imitation |
| the patrons touring the west. Earrings and thin, small | | | | materials and by 1981 the supply was high but the |
| bracelets stamped with arrows and bows and | | | | demand was gone. The market collapsed and most |
| containing symmetrically cut small oval pieces of | | | | of the American turquoise mines were shut down |
| turquoise were the types most in demand. The | | | | and have remained closed since that time. Turquoise |
| pieces produced during this time are still termed as | | | | demand hit a low water mark in the early 1980s, but |
| having been made in the "Fred Harvey" style. Heavy | | | | has been slowly and steadily increasing in popularity |
| Indian Jewelry did not become popular until after | | | | since that time. Most American mines have remained |
| 1925, when the classic squash-blossom necklaces | | | | closed, and in recent years high demand for natural |
| were first brought to the tourist market. The | | | | American turquoise has caused once again significant |
| squash-blossom craze lasted until about 1940, when | | | | increases in prices. |