Native American and Vintage Jewelry

Native Americans

Native Americans, named after being the first to inhabit America, were divided into tribes formed by crosses of families and distributed throughout the region.

Each tribe had its own customs and traditions related to religion, art, music and lifestyle . In ancient times, they lived by exploiting the area in which they lived, hunting, fishing and farming , depending on the geography of the territory. In particular, salmon fishing and bison hunting gave them the stability necessary to build villages , creating ever more evolved communities.

Their religion was represented by several different or identical customs for each tribe; dances, interconnection with spirits and witchcraft were the core of religion.

Some tribes believed that some animals, such as the cojote , were sacred and endowed with supernatural powers. Others venerated the totems that represented the animal from which they descended, creating a very sacred and spiritual connection between man and nature.

Religion also influenced native art, which featured spectacular techniques and that today has become a symbol of much sought-after beauty. They painted masks carved from wood , representing demons and spirits, or made beautiful silver bracelets and jewelry with splendid turquoise. They also created wapoom belts with Indian symbols and made commonly used utensils guided by their sense of beauty and design.

Navajo Jewels

The Navajo people today is one of the largest among Native Americans. They were farmers who lived in the area of Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico , which is characterized by a hot and arid climate of mountains and reservoirs dotted with oases.

They were fascinated by turquoise stones and their ‘living’ property , so much so that they used them for predictions, prosperity and religion.

Turquoise is a peculiar mineral that changes its appearance and colour depending on various factors such as dust , light and the acidity of the skin. According to Navajo beliefs, they make it capable of understanding a person’s health and providing vitality when needed.

From the 1850’s onwards the Navajo people had a real breakthrough in jewelry making, when a Mexican blacksmith taught the art of ironworking to Atsidi Sani or “Old Blacksmith”. With him began a long history of skilled craftsmen that still continues today.

Atsidi Sani began the production of crescent-shaped pendants called ‘Najas’. Not only that, he also gave life to belts decorations called “conchos” and other products used in daily life. His works were characterized by silver pieces with a simple design and coarse finishes .

In the early 1900s , a blacksmith called Atsidi Chon or “Ugly Blacksmith” introduced a new form of design, starting to set turquoise into his jewelry.

These products became so unique and popular that people began to use them as currency or as a bargaining chip to use with other tribes.

Wampum Belts

Wampum belts were used by Native Americans of Eastern North America as a symbol for treaties and a ceremonial or religious object, replacing the dyed porcupine quills used for the manufacture of clothing.

The beads were made from North Atlantic shells generally white or purple in color. In a time-consuming process, tools of wood or stone were used to make the shells smooth. In this way large beads were obtained, these were used only for necklaces or thongs .

The use of shells and raw beads as a bargaining chip allowed Europeans to enter the American market by importing ceramic beads produced in Europe. Subsequently the Native Americans became aware of the possibility of creating smaller beads, applicable to belts and ornaments of all kinds, versatile and ready to be used for the most difficult designs.

The beads were attached to the background using two main types of stitching or their variations, the overlapping stitch or the lazy stitch .

The overlapping stitch is mainly used for floral designs. The beads are lined up on a thread that is fixed in the background, while a second thread is used to better secure the first thread by weaving it to 2-3 beads at a time.

The Lazy stitch, on the other hand, uses a single thread to fix the beads, it is used for geometric designs where there are no curves. The thread with the beads is passed in one direction fixing it to the background and then stitched a second time in the opposite direction, allowing horizontal or vertical sewing.

Zuni jewels

The Zuni people are originally from the Rio Grande in New Mexico. In addition to being the only population that still lives in their ancient native lands, they learned metalworking, starting from brass and copper on to learning Navajo techniques .

Zuni jewels are distinguished from Navajo jewels for the complexity and for the use of mosaics created from different coloured and polished stones , close together. They preferred the creation of bracelets, rings and necklaces with symbols related to animals, dances and religious customs.

Another decorative element was the claw of grizzly bears , a symbol of strength and courage used in necklaces. This accompanied the turquoise stones or corals worked keeping the same dimensions, set and joined according to the technique called “channel Inlay”.

Hopi Jewels

Lastly, there are the Hopi , a people originating from Arizona like the Zuni and Navajo. Their culture of silver developed later than the Navajo one , as their geographic location did not favour trade.

They learned the art of silver working from the Zuni and after about 40 years they developed their own technique. It consisted of working two pieces of silver: a harder one at the base, used as a support for the softer piece above and worked in order to give the three-dimensional shape of religious designs. For example, water, sun and khacinas that symbolised protective deities, who were drawn by their ancestors on stone blocks.

They did not use precious stones, but created three-dimensional reproductions with coarse finishes, using the overlay technique .