Native American Jewelry for Sale: What to Know Before Buying

When buying jewelry, everyone would want to get their hands on some of the best with rich corals, dramatic blue, green turquoise, or expertly crafted silver and copper. However, it can be intimidating to find a dealer that can guarantee them to find authentic pieces. Since the industry is also full of copycats, it is important to know everything about Native American jewelry before buying them.

If you want to find the right Native American jewelry for sale, doing due diligence will help. It is important that you consider the following things too.

1.  The types of jewelry

There are dozens of jewelry pieces crafted by Indigenous Americans. These pieces include Native American rings, necklaces, bracelets, rings, and earrings, among others. Knowing the different types, there are out there will help you in selecting the ones that match your preferences and needs.

Some of the crucial details to know about them include:

· Turquoise is often represented in different jewelry, and many people cherish them due to their natural spiritual connection to Mother Earth

· Pearls include precious and semi-precious stones that may include garnet, turquoise, and gaspeite

· Copper, which was primarily used before silversmithing

· Animal bones, feathers, teeth, antlers, hides, and quills

· Silver

2.  Tribes presented in the collections

There are different tribes that may be represented in various jewelry collections, such as old Native American jewelry. Some of the tribes include the following ones:

· Navajo: The Navajo culture follows the Navajo people’s spiritual traditions as well as their cause of maintaining balance and harmony with Mother Nature

· Zuni: The Zuni tribe made pieces that express their cultural traditions through different arts such as painting, pottery, fetish carvings, and jewelry. Jewelry making is especially an important source of income for the Zuni people

· Hopi: The Hopi tribe adhere to some deeper ties to spirituality, religion, and morality

3.  Differentiating Zuni, Navajo, and Hopi Jewelry

There are some differences and similarities between jewelry from these three tribes.

· The Zuni tribe jewelry features intricate stonework designs

· Navajo jewelry is characterized by chunky as well as occasionally uncut stones that may be set with Sterling Silver bezel

· Hopi jewelry making involves soldering a double layer of metal

With the many differences and similarities of different tribes’ jewelry, identifying them should be easy. However, you can also ask for professional assistance. Doing proper research and talking to jewelry authenticators may help too.