Native American jewelry making using materials such as turquoise, amber, shells, ivory, silver and copper was happening long before the arrival of the Europeans in America. The use of these natural materials in trade among the Indian tribes made the materials widely available to use in arts and crafting of body adornments or jewelry. Native American jewelry making tradition remained strong even after colonization it became one of the only remaining Native traditions that remained, keeping the Native American Indians culture alive after the near abolishment of their people.


Today the techniques are still used but now they incorporate more modern materials for today’s market using glass beads and more advanced metal working techniques. There are two main varieties of Native American jewelry which are metal work and bead work. After the Navajo Indians became more sophisticated in their metal working techniques which they learned from the Spanish they began to create very beautiful and master craftsmanship pieces like the squash blossom necklace and Hopi silver overlay bracelets that are still famous today.


The Native Americans were a very superstitious people and most of their jewelry had spiritual attachments and a lot of symbolism. Their jewelry pieces would be fashioned in a way that the piece would be a good luck charm or would bare symbols that the Indian would believe could ward off bad spirits. This makes the jewelry very enigmatic and mysterious as well as very beautiful. If you would like to own your very own piece of authentic Native American Indian jewelry then you can purchases it online on various websites but make sure that it is noted all jewelry is made by a reputable tribally recognized American Indian, Inuit or First Nations Artist.