The Preferred Stone For Native American Jewelry

 Indigenous American jewelry has various forms and styles popular all over the world. From earrings to bracelets, native Americans have been creating these jewelry pieces for centuries now. And the centuries-old experience of the native Americans has brought versatility to their ornaments. 

Native American love to use stones in their jewelry pieces. One of the most preferred stones used in native American jewelry is Turquoise. Turquoise is used in earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and almost every ornament of native jewelry. So, let's know more about it. 


Why Is Turquoise So Popular? 

Native Americans discovered turquoise centuries ago, and it is still a preferred gem. Now the styles have changed to make the jewelry, but the preference for turquoise hasn't changed a bit. Some researchers have pulled the reasons for using turquoise into two categories.   

Ancient Beliefs 

Some American tribes believe that turquoise represents strength, skill, or even invincibility., Apaches associate turquoise with rain. Apaches attach turquoise to their bows so that they can become master hunters. And Navajo peoples have used turquoise to protect them from storms. 

According to Navajo tradition, throwing a turquoise into the water or air in prayer will connect you to the creator of rain or the wind spirits. They also believe that the wind hollows in search of turquoise, so it will bless you if you throw a stone in the wind. Meanwhile, the Hopi tribe also has their own beliefs, and according to them, turquoise is the excrement of lizards who travel between different worlds. They carry the stone with them for security and strength.

 

Properties Of the Stone

The other reason believed to be behind the use of turquoise is the properties of the stone. By formation, it is different from the other stones, and also, there are so many different types of turquoise stones available. However, bright blue or green turquoise has its own beauty. 

 

The stone is easy to cut and polish, and it assembles a marble stone without any treatment. So, we can say it's the natural beauty of the stone that makes it such a desirable stone. A small nugget of turquoise often has a range of hues from blue to green. 

Also, turquoise is easy to heat, cut, and polish. It takes less hard work to work with turquoise than any other stone. Treated turquoise is used for beads. But, molding and getting the desired shape of the turquoise is quite expensive. 


Other Stones That Are Used In the Native American Jewelry- 

Some other stones are also used in Native American jewelry, not to the extent of turquoise, but worth mentioning. 


Jasper Stone- 

Native American artists also used red jasper stone commonly. Along with the turquoise, they also use it during the rain-making ritual. Native Americans consider jasper a sacred stone and believe it provides guidance when dowsing for water. 

Azurite- 

Indigenous Americans also make use of Azurite, just like the other stones. Native Americans believe that Azurite possesses sacred qualities. So, they carry it around like an amulet to help the wearer contact a spirit guide. The Native Americans believe that when you wear Azurite stone, you can feel the presence of a guide. And it helps you understand the meaning of the message spoken by the guide.

Sandstone-

Sandstone is a popular pick to create mortar and pestle designs in jewelry. Some artists have also used and modeled it for silver casting. Sandstone is also one of the few stones that are used to shape other stones, which makes it a pretty valuable stone in the history of native American jewelry. 


Besides these two stones, native Americans also use Quartz, Granite Pumice, Alabaster, and Obsidian. Each of these stones has some religious and sacred belief attached to it. Other than the stones, native American jewelry also used shells shaped to look like stones.

 

Navajo Artist- The Masters Of Native American Jewelry

Navajo Artists is one of the most popular and well-known American artists. They have achieved worldwide popularity because of their dedication to their culture and art.  

The Navajo are a tribe of artists where artists have their unique style and identity. They were the first to master blacksmithing and then created the ornaments using silver. So, if you would love to try native American jewelry, visit the Navajo Artist online store. And make sure to get a glance at their indigenous heritage.


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