History of Native American Turquoise Jewelry in the Usa

The Beautiful blue and green hues of turquoise havethey were discontinued for the most part by most
long been prized by the Native American peoples ofIndian artisans for requiring too much work and too
the southwestern part of the USA. Entire culturesmuch turquoise.
were built on mining turquoise and crafting sacred andIn the 1920's and 1930's, the concho belt changed
special items from the attractive stone in areas whichfrom 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 necklacesections of the belt. The tourist jewelry of that era
strands and other turquoise jewelry by hand manyis 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 widelypotential to provide a reliable income source to tribal
exchanged and circulated among the Native peoplesmembers across Arizona and New Mexico. During
of the Americas, and the each of the tribesthose years, schools and classes were established at
developed their own unique names for the strikingseveral reservations to train young men in the trade
blue stone. Scientific testing has proven that someof making Native American style Sterling and
ancient beads found in central and South Americaturquoise jewelry. In the following decades, many
were originally dug from the Cerrillos turquoise minesvery 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 oftraveled across the country, and on their trips
working metals like silver with them to the newthrough the Arizona-New Mexico area, discovered
world, the American Indians who learned the silverthat local traders had rooms full of this Native
smith trade learned eventually began to add turquoiseAmerican jewelry, which the traders called pawn
with the silver to develop their own special style ofpieces. Most of these were jewelry pieces the Indian
jewelry. A Zuni man by the name of Kineshde ispeople made for themselves and pawned for one of
believed to be the first to add turquoise to the handtwo 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 thepopularity of these pawn pieces, a host of trading
US during the early 1890s, but Persian turquoise wasposts sprang up in the Southwest and knowledge of
the focus of the demand at that time, and only athis unique style of jewelry became much more
few deposits of high quality turquoise were known inwidespread. New jewelry was also created to meet
the US. In the following years, a number of highthe growing tourist demand. Those who appreciated
quality deposits previously worked by Nativethe beautiful American turquoise began to recognize
Americans were "rediscovered", and shortly afterthe general differences in matrix patterns and color,
1900 and Americans began to recognize thatetc. between the different mine sources. During this
American turquoise from the Western US was thetime, which extended to the early 1950's, turquoise
equal of any in the world. Interest again began tobegan to be named, for sales purposes, after the
peak around 1908-1910, and a considerable amount ofmine 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 producedAn increasing number of American Indians continued
prior to 1910 was made by well-known jewelryto handcraft silver jewelry in the 1950s and early
manufacturing companies like Tiffany's, and was1960's in the traditional way. Up to that time their
produced in the standard Victorian styles of thosework 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 Indianmaterial available began to enable a larger audience to
style turquoise jewelry. There were a few Nativesee and appreciate this beautiful style of jewelry art.
Americans making turquoise and silver pieces in whatEven so, it did not become widely popular across the
we now see as the traditional style, but theyentire US until the late 1960's and early 1970's. At
produced very few pieces and their very simple toolsthat time the simple and natural beauty of turquoise
increased the man hours each piece needed forjewelry became the rage of the American fashion
completion. That era was essentially the dawn of thescene. The prices of the old pawn jewelry rocketed
traditional styles for silver-turquoise jewelry. America'supward, and a craze for Indian turquoise jewelry
fascination with turquoise and genuine Indian Jewelryswelled and boosted demand (and prices) for
really began in earnest during the 1920's when moreturquoise to previously undreamed levels.
people from outside the southwest began to see theThe increased prices and demand caused the
beauty of this artistic jewelry. At that time, there-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 daysTaiwan, and the Philippines. In time, the market
of popular rail travel across the US. At first, Indianbecame glutted, the consumer was confused by
Jewelry was only sold as curios in the restaurants foroverpriced synthetic, stabilized and plastic imitation
the patrons touring the west. Earrings and thin, smallmaterials and by 1981 the supply was high but the
bracelets stamped with arrows and bows anddemand was gone. The market collapsed and most
containing symmetrically cut small oval pieces ofof the American turquoise mines were shut down
turquoise were the types most in demand. Theand have remained closed since that time. Turquoise
pieces produced during this time are still termed asdemand hit a low water mark in the early 1980s, but
having been made in the "Fred Harvey" style. Heavyhas been slowly and steadily increasing in popularity
Indian Jewelry did not become popular until aftersince that time. Most American mines have remained
1925, when the classic squash-blossom necklacesclosed, and in recent years high demand for natural
were first brought to the tourist market. TheAmerican turquoise has caused once again significant
squash-blossom craze lasted until about 1940, whenincreases in prices.