Native American Made Ornaments And Jewelry

Native American Made Ornaments And Jewelry
If you look at paintings and photographs of Native Americans from days gone by, the one thing that is sure to strike you is their unique adornments and ornaments. There are lovely flashes of color starting from their headdress onwards. Silver, precious and semiprecious stones and so many other components went into making some typical and unique Native American made ornaments.

Range of jewelry
When it comes to Native American made ornaments, there is a wide range of jewelry that is created with the use of silver, turquoise, coral, onyx and so on. Jewelry such as
  • Necklaces
  • Bracelets
  • Bolo ties
  • Belt buckles and
  • Pendants are some of the more popular pieces. 
Ornaments Jewelry
Image is licensed under CC Attribution

What goes into making the jewelry?
Depending on the pieces of jewelry that you are looking for, some of the things that go into making them are coral, malachite, turquoise - white and blue-  and pink mussel too. Needlepoint embroidery is also an integral part of Native American made ornaments. You will also be able to see the importance that various kinds of animals have played in Native American culture because almost all of them are celebrated by way of ornamentation too. Thus, earrings, pendants, arrowheads and bracelets - all of them have animal themes such as bear, buffalo, wolves and horses.

Silver
Sterling Silver is perhaps the most common metal that is used to create such jewelry. Sometimes the piece is made entirely of sterling silver. This metal is crafted into things like chains and rings. And sometimes, the metal serves as a setting for precious and semiprecious stones. For instance, you could buy a belt buckle which is made of sterling silver but has an inner adornment of Jasper. Some of the best silversmiths come from Native American tribes such as Cherokee, Navajo and Zuni.

History of the ornaments
Most Native American leather ornaments find their origins way back in 7000 BC. Of course, at that time such jewelry was created by using bone, shells, beads and wood. Each tribe became associated with certain unique kinds of jewelry and that history continues even today. For instance, Zuni and Hopi are associated with being talented silversmiths. When you talk about Concho belts, it is most popularly associated with the Navajo tribe. Incidentally, the Concho belt is noted for its intricacy and craftsmanship. It is made of leather that has been pleated and studded with silver and gemstone inlays. Each one of them has an interesting story attached to them too!
James
About the Author:

James is a writer and blogger with 5 years experience.

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