Native Jewelry

A woman’s wedding day is easily one of the most memorable events of her life. It’s the time when all eyes are on her – when the ceremony is planned right down to the minutest detail. Traditionally, women dedicate plenty of time and thought to picking out the perfect wedding dress. Shouldn’t they devote similar resources and effort to narrowing down the best accessories as well?

Engagement rings will always be the star of the show. They are often flashy and anchored with an expensive diamond. It’s therefore up to the bride to complement the look of the ring with other jewelry. A sterling silver cuff bracelet plays elegantly off a silver banded ring, and some understated silver earrings work to round out the look. In all likelihood, you’ll only be taking this one trip down the aisle. Make it a memorable one.

For those of you who prefer a more sentimental value to their jewelry,  a charm bracelet carries personal charms, which are decorative pendants or trinkets that can remind the wearer of important things and events in the wearer’s life. Italian charm bracelets have become the “in” thing in recent years. While traditional charms dangle, Italian charms feature individual pieces soldered flat onto the surface of the link.

Bracelets that are in solid form, usually some form of metal such as Gold or Sterling Silver, are referred to as bangles or bangle bracelets. They can be smooth, textured, or set with stones and are often worn several at a time. In India, glass bangle bracelets are common. Made from ordinary glass that is about 1/4 to 1/8 inch in width, they are worn in groups so that arm movement causes them to make a pleasant sound rather like the clinking of wind chimes.
Today, women’s fashion statements are about them! A woman’s bracelet wardrobe can be what ever she wants. One day may be a dainty Turquoise Sterling Silver Tennis bracelet, and the next day may be a Chunky Turquoise Nugget bracelet.

Native American Bracelets are a charming addition to bracelets for anyone.

Bracelets aren’t only used for fashion. In Latin America, traditional Azabache bracelets are worn to protect against the Mal de Ojo, or evil eye. The people of that culture believe the evil eye is the result of excessive admiration or envious looks, and often gold bracelets are used to deflect the bad mojo. Parents of newborn infants often clasp an infant-sized azabache, which is a gold bracelet or necklace with a black or red coral charm in the form of a fist, around their newborn to protect them from the evil eye. In Bulgaria there is a tradition called Martenitsa. This ancient tradition involves wrapping or tying a red and white string around the wrist. By wearing the traditional Martenitsa bracelet in this manner, the wearer hopes to please Baba Marta to make spring come sooner. Bracelets are not always used for a superstitious act. In various parts of India, the type and number of bangles worn by a woman denotes her marital status. Around the world, bracelets are used for medical and identification purposes, such as a hospital patient-identification tag or allergy bracelet.

Typically, contemporary bracelets are found in three or four styles. The status symbol of the tennis bracelet signifies wealth and affluence more clearly than any Egyptian bracelet ever could. The in-line thin diamond bracelet that features a symmetrical pattern of diamonds is the traditional form of a tennis bracelet. This particular bracelet came into recent fashion, when Chris Evert, the former Number One World Woman tennis player and the winner of 18 Grand Slam singles titles, was playing in the 1976 U.S. Open. Chris wore an elegant, light in-line diamond bracelet. During the match, the bracelet broke and the match was interrupted to allow Chris to recover her expensive diamonds. The ‘tennis bracelet’ incident sparked a new name for the item and grew to encompass a massive jewelry trend and status symbol.

No creature stood closer to the Great Spirit than the buffalo. Relying as they did on the flesh, skin, and bones of that animal for almost everything they needed - be it food, clothing, shelter, or tools - the people of the Plains addressed prayers directly to the generous buffalo, confident that the animal would serve as their intermediary with the Great Spirit. Those prayers brought many blessings. The sacred peace pipe was given to their ancestors by White Buffalo Calf Woman, a beautiful maiden who, after teaching the Sioux how to use the pipe changed herself into a white buffalo calf.
POWER…STRENGTH…PROSPERITY.
It is told that the spirit of the buffalo–will return to reunite the people, thereby mending the Sacred Hoop, which has no ending and no beginning. This will be a time for the prophecies to come together, for people of all colors to understand about Mother Earth, and to have respect for each others nations. This will be a time for healing. It’s no wonder that the native artists of our time use this extraordinary creature in many of their native american jewelry.

Ancient tradition holds that certain metals have medicinal qualities. Silver is intuition, beauty and spiritual healing. Valued since the dawn of time as a store of wealth, gold continues to be the most solid medium of exchange in the world. The western states have seen many gold rushes…California in 1849, Colorado in 1859, the Yukon in 1897, and the latest gold rush of the 1980s and 1990s with its huge surface mines in the old gold mining camps of the western U.S. The United States is once again one of the largest producers of gold in the world,
The Navajo were the first of the southwestern Indians to produce jewelry that required metal working. Around 1850 a Navajo Medicine Man, Atsidi Sani, convinced a Mexican blacksmith to teach him the art of working with metal. When the Navajo returned to their homeland in 1868 after their imprisonment at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, traders arrived in the area bringing silver coins with them. It was with these coins that the Navajo began to make silver jewelry. In 1884, two Mexican silversmiths were employed by the Hubbell Trading Post to teach Navajos how to solder and work with silver.   We still have awesome work done by the navajo tribes including native american earrings native american necklaces and  native american bracelets

The bracelets are one of thehe most luxurious and oldest forms of jewelry.  The Romans were the ones to bring to light the popularity of the bracelet.  Then over the years such changes as width, design and what they are made of have changed.  

One example of how the bracelet has changed is what they are made of.  When the Romans were creating such items they were using rocks and glass to create their pieces of wrist art.  They would carve the rock and embed it with gemstones.  Then over the years gold was incorporated and coral became very fashionable.  Fun Fact: during the early Victorian Age, the bracelets became a kind of hidden code.  An example is the acrostic bracelet that would use the first letter of each gemstone to spell a word.  An example of such is a bracelet set wtih Lapis, Opal, Vermeil and Emerald would spell LOVE. 

During the Georgian times in Paris, jewelers were known for their gold bracelets set with pearl edging. Following the 1820s, coral became the in fashion statement and bracelets and other jewelry were adorned with coral. Another fashion trend involved the wearing of many bracelets at once, including wide ribbon gold mesh bracelets and silk ribbon bracelets. Diamond and gem bracelets were designed in geometric patterns, and gold was the primary metal used during this era.

The next time you recieve a bracelet take a look and remember someone spent time and their imagination on creating such a work of art.  If is is a silver bracelet that shows true love.