Native Jewelry

Accessorizing can make a boring outfit a dazzling outfit. There are several ways a person may choose to accessorize their outfit. Belts, purses, shoes, hair clips, and jewelry are all common ways people choose to accessorize their outfits. During the summer season, bracelets can jazz up a sundress or a shorts and shirt outfit—my personal favorite is my ensemble that features several turquoise bracelets. There a few things you may want to consider before wearing a bracelet:

1.) Wear short sleeves or ¾ inch sleeves in order to reveal your bracelet. A long sleeved shirt or bulky sweater will hide you bracelet.
2.) If you have bigger-boned wrists, wear slim bracelets like handmade sterling silver bracelets. If you have slim wrists wear chunky bangle bracelets.
3.) If you are wearing a bracelet that draws attention, make sure that your nails are in good condition. You don’t want to draw attention to your hands if your fingers are grubby with nails coated in chipped polish.
4.) Cluster several attractive bracelets together for an eye-catching arrangement. The bracelets should be similar in color and style.

In “The Song of Hiawatha”, a popular poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the character of Hiawatha is actually drawn from the writings of Henry R. Schoolcraft, who had confused the real Hiawatha with a Chippewa deity.  Longfellow’s version of events and character, therefore, in any way relates to the great Iroquois reformer.  Unfortunately, there are no known images of Hiawatha.
Hiawatha was a skilled statesman and charismatic orator who was instrumental in persuading the Iroquois peoples, the Senecas, Cayugas, Onondagas, Oneidas, and Mohawks, a group of Native North Americans who shared similar languages, to accept The Great Peacemaker’s vision and band together to become the Five Nations of the Iroquois confederacy. Thus the notion of the native politics emerges.
In our mind’s eye we can see Hiawatha on the banks of a river but also, perhaps, a maiden on the other bank  resplendent in Native clothing and Native Jewelry waiting for her love on the other side.
We can all enjoy the Native Jewelry even in this modern day as the ability to work with silver and gems has been handed down from generation to generation.  Some of the most gifted silversmiths are native and they are proud to share their culture with anyone who so desires.

Isn’t it true that we look to the older people in any natuionality for their wisdom?  This is just another awesome example of wisdom brought on through years of observing life in general.   This type of Native American Tapestry is very typicalof the humor found in the native minds and homes

All peoples of the world hold an intriguing history of their own, and the American Indian is certainly no exception. For many years, since the majority of the Indian side of “history” is oral and pictorial, history books written primarily by European whites provided our only glimpse into the world of  Native Americans.  Other media too, before the notion of “political correctness,” portrayed the American Indian in a variety of stereotypical and slanted ways. While, the reverse and perhaps “romanticization” of American Indian life of recent years hasn’t always produced a complete or unbiased look either. It has, however, opened the door to a greater interest in notable and intriguing Native American individuals.  These little biographies offer a glimpse of some of those who lived among the drums and fires and experienced a world few have seen and fewer still remember.
Because the “history” of Native Americans was oral and pictorial, expertise and manufacture of Native Crafts have been handed down by word of mouth also.
Such Native Crafts as Sterling Silver Belt Buckles, Sterling Silver Rings with a variety of gems, Sterling Silver Bracelets and also Native American Tapestries and Rugs and Pottery, to name just a few.

The cowboy was born in 1866 with the first herd of Texas longhorns. They trailed across hundreds of miles of wild and dangerous country, filled with predators and hostile Indians, to the wide open town of Abilene, which was created by the Kansas Pacific Railroad as the western frontier railhead for shipping cattle East.

 From then on the big Texas cattle drives fed the market for a beef-hungry America. Six hundred thousand cattle came up the Texas trail in 1871 in herds of about 2,000, each led by a wild, reckless and tough bunch of young men with great courage and fortitude. Huge numbers of longhorn cattle had multiplied in Texas after the Civil War as the result of few predators, few fences and plenty of grass and water. They ran wild while Texas men went off to fight for the Confederacy.

Cow-gathering was a challenge, but getting a herd all the way to the Kansas railroad paid big. Early cowboys had very little food (mostly corn meal and salted bacon), used homemade saddles and chaps, no tents or tarps, braided their own rope from horsehair, and bragged they could go any place a cow could and stand anything a horse could. A saddle blanket and a coat made up the Texas trail bed. The twelve-inch-barrel Colt was necessary equipment. Another necessary piece of equipment was a belt buckle for holding up their pants or jeans worn so well in their occupation.  Strong, lightweight and wiry men who persevered and were loyal defined a new American spirit of freedom and independence. Mothers shared great pride in seeing their sons grow up to be cowboys. 

Mothers still show pride when their cowboys come home sporting a Native American Belt Buckle fashioned by very loving hands

To Native Americans, the eagle embodied not only ferocity but also purity, for it flew high in the atmosphere, where the air was clearest - and where, in the belief of many Indians, the Great Spirit resided. Those who wished to ask something of the Great Spirit sometimes sent their message by way of the eagle spirit. Some believe birds to be symbols of the soul, as well as intermediaries to the gods. Seeking their cooperation, Native Americans have plied bird spirits with offerings and performed dances to honor and beseech them. Pleas are sent skyward in the smoke of burning tobacco. Feathers are often considered the most potent part of the bird and are passed down as cherished symbols of the power bestowed by those creatures that soar in the lofty realms where many of the gods dwell.

It is really no wonder then that Native American Earrings feature eagles in one form or another

Before you clean, know your metal. In the U.S. today, there are three basic metal alloys known as “silver.”: sterling silver, German silver and silver plate. You don’t clean all of them the same way. In fact, one needs virtually no cleaning.

Silver is used frequently on tack and jewelry, items you really want to shine in the show ring or to just show off. To keep yours brilliant, here’s a brief rundown on the composition of silver alloys and how to clean them.

(Sterling silver) is actually a government standard. To earn the designation “sterling,” the metal must contain at least 92.5 percent silver. It tarnishes over time, requiring a regular polish to restore its luster.

German silver is a trade name and a term that came into use years ago among German silversmiths for their nickel alloys. Also called nickel silver, it’s the most inexpensive metal of the three types and tarnishes more quickly than sterling.

Silver plate 99.9 percent pure silver, coated or “plated” over a base metal, that may be copper, brass or bronze, depending on the how the silversmith plans to use it. To prevent tarnish, many silversmiths then plate the silver with another substance, such as a lacquer. Despite this final outer coating, most lacquer will yellow over time. One company, Montana Silversmiths, found a way to prevent the yellowing. Using a patented procedure and material, company silversmiths plate their silver with “Montana armor,” a substance the company claims is about 64 times more wear resistant than lacquer. In fact, it’s so durable, the company warrants its silver plate for life. It’s used on tack and jewelry for an exclusive number of companies.

Native American Jewelery is one of the most well know examples of silver jewelery

Amethyst has been used for many different rituals that vary from being worn by Catholic Bishops to tribal healers.  Amethyst is a quartz crystal that has a purple or mauve shading.  It was traditionally worn to protect someone from drunkeness and to bring about a sober mind.

Amethyst was often worn by native healers because it was believed that they could concentrate thier energy into the stone and help heal the sick or injured quickly.  Today it is a stone that is a beautiful gift for all.

The various Native American communities have amazingly rich and varied cultures. Their religion is particularly interesting, as it is vastly different than Christianity. While it’s difficult to lump their religion into one group, there are overarching themes that emerge. For one, there is no strict conception of good and evil. While many things in Christianity are set up in opposites (good versus evil, God versus the devil), Native American religion views things in a much more interconnected manner. To that end, nothing is all evil, and nothing is all good.

They also believe in animism, which is the belief that inanimate objects have spirit. Religion is also an integral part of the community’s everyday life. It’s not something compartmentalized or separated from any other aspect of the community. This religion is even evident in Native American jewelry. Every tribe has a particular spin on how religion affects their particular brand of jewelry, but it is always present.

There’s nothing better than wearing the perfect outfit to an event. That may mean wearing a bridesmaid dress at a wedding, or a cowgirl outfit to a barn dance, whatever the outfit is in order to make it complete you must accessorize. That means finding the perfect earrings, necklace or bracelet to add the finishing touches to your outfit.

When I am dressing up for a night on the town, I like to wear my favorite purple suede pants, a striped halter and a pair of heels. Last, but not least, I never forget to put on my dangle earrings. These sparking little gems never fail to get me compliments.