Native American Jewelry: Hand-Crafted Exquisite Personal Adornment Items

The picture that most people have in their mind's eye of Native American jewelry is one of vibrant stones such as turquoise and coral in shimmering silver settings. Although this particular style has been popular among Native American artists of the American Southwest for over a century, there is much more to Native American jewelry than just turquoise, silver, and coral. Some tribes use none of these materials in the creation of their exquisite personal adornment items. For instance, one of the staples of Native jewelry made by artisans in the northern part of the state of Alaska is walrus ivory. Mammoth ivory is also shaped into beads and made into necklaces, bracelets, and earrings.

Fossilized ivory which is decorated with precious stones and metals is often used in native american jewelry, but it also presents an elegant appearance when carved into beads and left unembellished. Mammoth ivory is being discovered constantly in Alaska and the northern regions of Canada and is anywhere from 10,000 to 200,000 years old. Because the bone has been preserved by the permafrost, it's usually in excellent shape when found. The process of mineralization has created blue, brown, and tan hues in the ivory that provides it with its unique character. The majority of the mammoth ivory that is currently being used to make jewelry is found by Inuit subsistence hunters.

Dentilium shells are also widely used in native american jewelry and by coastal jewelry crafters in Alaska. These are the shells of a specific type of mollusk. Once used as trade items, dentilium shells are mainly used in the production of earrings and pendants. Buyers should make certain that they are purchasing shells that have been harvested from the deep waters of the Pacific Northwest rather than shells that originated in Asia. Asian shells are known smaller and more brittle than the kind found in North America.

Artists from the Tlingit and Haida tribes of Alaska's panhandle are well-known for the intricate silver bracelets that they fashion. These bracelets are carved with totemic imagery that has significant personal meaning for the artisan. Northwest tribes are divided into various clans, and clan symbolism is a substantial element of their jewelry designs. For instance, an artist who is a member of the Raven clan will frequently feature ravens on the jewelry that he or she creates. Other clan symbols include salmon, bear, frogs, orcas, and eagles. The individual pieces of jewelry tell a story. One particularly intriguing Tlingit bracelet tells the story of the dawn of creation, while another was designed and created to act as a protectant to the one who wears it.

The ample variety of authentic native american jewelry can be worn with a variety of clothing styles and is always in good taste, and the wearer's enjoyment and appreciation of it will increase the more he or she understands the stories behind the art.