Celebrating Navajo Jewelry Artists

Having always loved the earthy dramatic beauty of Native American jewelry, it is an honor to share these wonderful works of wearable art by Navajo artists such as Jimmy Emerson, Calvin Peterson, and others. Each of the following pieces when purchased are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity recognizing their true value as hand crafted Native American art.
Native American Kingman Turquoise Sterling Silver Cuff Bracelet by Navajo artist Emerson.
This gorgeous one-of-a-kind handcrafted work of art features a Sterling Silver cuff bracelet embedded with a large cab of stunning, top of the line, sky blue genuine Turquoise with natural markings and colors designed by the Earth. This turquoise stone looks to be from Kingman, Arizona and has been set in a hand made Sterling Silver bezel sweated to a hand made Sterling Silver cuff. Hand twisted Sterling Silver wire and hand stamped designs circle the Turquoise stones and dress the cuff with a high shine. These bracelets average over 1 3/4" in width at the center and will fit a 5" to a 7" wrist. Stamped Sterling and signed J E. The color and matrix of the Turquoise may vary slightly. The choice of stone in a piece of Turquoise jewelry makes a statement about the unique personality of both the artist who makes the piece and the person who wears it.

There are many legends about Turquoise; The Pima consider it to bring good fortune and strength and that it helped overcome illness. The Zuni believe that blue turquoise was male and of the sky and green turquoise was female and of the earth. Pueblo Indians thought that its color was stolen from the sky. In Hopi legend the lizard who travels between the above and the below, excretes turquoise and that the stone can hold back floods. The Apache felt that turquoise on a gun or bow made it shoot straight. The Navajo consider it as good fortune to wear and believe it could appease the Wind Spirit.

Native American 14k Gold Sterling Silver Overlaid Man in the Maze Pendant by Calvin Peterson
This 14k Gold and Sterling Silver pendant features an overlaid Gold on Silver traditional Native American Man in th Maze design. All the silver and gold was hand cut and hand stamped by the artist. This pendant is 2 1/2" long, 1 3/4" wide, and comes with a complimentary chain. Signed by the artist and stamped Sterling and 14k. This pendant can be custom made with the Man in the Maze overlay made from Jeweler's gold or Sterling silver.

Overlay is created by "sweating" or soldering, two pieces of silver together. The top piece contains a design element which is meticulously cut out of silver. The bottom piece is oxidized and often textured to produce a contrasting background. Then carefully filed, buffed, and polished to produce this fine finish.

Turquoise Sterling Silver Ring
Handcrafted out of gleaming, beautifully patterned Sterling silver this ring holds a deftly-cut cabochon of Turquoise. The Turquoise stones are likely Nevada, Boulder Mountain and Bird's Eye and exhibit exceptional hues of navy blue/black, brown, seagreen and teal, which complement the sheen of the silver.

Turquoise has been, since about 200 B.C., extensively used by southwestern U.S Native Americans and by many of the Indian tribes in Mexico. The Native American Jewelry or "Indian style" jewelry with turquoise mounted in or with silver is relatively new. Some believe this style of Jewelry was unknown prior to about 1880, when a white trader persuaded a Navajo craftsman to make turquoise and silver jewelry using coin silver. Prior to this time, the Native Americans had made solid turquoise beads, carvings, and inlaid mosaics. Recently, turquoise has found wide acceptance among people of all walks of life and from many different ethnic groups.
Source: bellaonline