Native American Jewelry

My Little History Lesson

Skip the History
and My Pondering

Native American jewelry has a very rich history. People have been making and wearing jewelry of some sort since time began. Finding all sorts of ways to decorate their bodies, faces, clothing, etc... Sometimes to show status within their social setting, and sometimes just to attract a mate. What some people find attractive, other definitely do not. (I really don’t understand the attraction of multiple rings on your neck, bones through your ears and noses, or draping animal parts from your neck, but obviously those styles of jewelry are attractive to someone)

One thing I can see the beauty of is Native American jewelry. For all of the differences in the many and varied tribes of American history, there are quite a few similarities. The Native American only used what nature provided to create the most beautiful designs.

Lots of different tribes used the same type of seeds or plants or even animal parts to create their jewelry. The differences come with their interpretations the colors they used and the patterns in their designs. There is large differences between the jewelry of some tribes vs. others, though. The different surroundings and environments they lived in really dictated what was available to them to work with.

My Ponderings

The amount of ingenuity and creativity must have gone into creating the amazing works of art astounds me!

What makes a person pick up a stone, a bone or a seed and say to themselves;

“I can make this beautiful.”?

What were the circumstances surrounding the whole discovery of natural dyes?

Did someone walk by a beautiful plant and think to themselves:

“What would happen if I dry this,
grind it into a powder and then add some water...”?

Was it only through their Gods that came to them in dreams and Vision Quests with step by step instructions that they learned these secrets?

And exactly when did they have time to be so creative and actually make such beautiful things in between their daily struggles just to survive??

It all just completely amazes me. That these Natives, struggling to survive, without anything you or I would deem absolutely essential for survival, could create such beautiful works of art! (Or even find the time to!) They worked with only the most basic of materials and tools. Yet some of their creations have lasted centuries. And today, their authentic jewelry is a highly sought after commodity.

Sorry, these are just some things I think about in my spare time.

Ok, pondering is over, on to more educational stuff!...

Authentic or Not?

There are so many different kinds of Native American jewelry out there. Some are “authentic replications”, some are just plain fakes claiming to be the real thing, and then your have your genuine Native American jewelry made by genuine Native Americans. So how do you choose? How do you know what to look for?

This site is a great place to find out all sorts of information about how to choose authentic jewelry, what to watch for, and what to watch out for. Click here to read more about choosing jewelry made by some of America’s Native Tribes.

I do not have enough knowledge of Native American Jewelry to tell you how to choose the authentic from the replicas. My advise would be to do some research before you buy. If you go to a Mountain Man Rendezvous or a Pow Wow, or right to an Indian reservation, you have a much better chance of buying authentic than from your corner craft store or street vendor. Some tribes actually count on the income from selling their jewelry to help them survive, so I definitely suggest supporting your favorite tribe any time you can!

Creating Your Own Artistic Style
Native American Jewelry

The Native American jewelry I make is definitely NOT authentic. I am not Native American, and I don’t have any close local resources to get authentic Tribal wares, so I have to make due with what I can get. I consider my work to be more of a personal tribute. An artistic interpretation of the Native American Jewelry styles.

Since the Indians only used what they could find or create from nature, I try to stick with those kinds of materials. Most Native American use of color had some meaning or symbolism, as well. Whether it represented a characteristic like strength, or something much more personal to an individual, there was a meaning in the use of a particular color. I try to take both of these things into consideration when creating my own Native American jewelry.

Natural Native Materials

Beads:

Traditionally, the beads they used were made out of clay, nuts, seeds, stones, woods and bones. (Metal beads were introduced with the explorers and the pioneers.) There are a wide variety of natural beads available today. You can even get actual bone beads (although they tend to be expensive). Seed beads are the most used bead when imitating the Native American style of bead work.

If you are looking for a more authentic feeling, you will want to stick with beads made from natural materials. If you are just going for the look of nature, there are lots of plastic and resin beads available now that simulate the look of seeds, stones, woods and bone. There are even glass beads that simulate the look of gemstones. (These beads are much nicer to your pocketbook!) You could also try your hand at polymer clay to create your very own clay beads.

Feathers:

Some Native American jewelry included feathers. The most popular feather used in any sort of Native adornment was the feather of an eagle. Since most people can’t use actual eagle feathers, they do have painted feathers that simulate the look of eagle feathers, available. (NOTE: Owning or even possessing eagle feathers -or any other part of an eagle, for that matter-, is illegal in the United States unless you are a Native American! They are our Nation's bird and a fiercely protected species.)

There are all sorts of other kinds of feathers available to create your designs with. You can even get dyed feathers in bright colors. I would recommend the more natural looking feathers if you are going for the authentic feeling, but the bright ones can be a lot of fun if you’re not.

Animal Parts:

Claws and teeth were widely used to adorn the American Native. These were symbols of animals they had bested, their animal totems, or the animal’s strength that they felt they needed, or the animal strength they were trying to acquire.

Now days, some would think it was not very attractive to have actual animal parts hanging from their ears, neck or wrists, so there are plastic animal claws and teeth beads available. Some of these look like cheap plastic replicas, while others can be painted to look like the real thing. You usually have to go to a leather goods store, or a Native American trading post to find the higher quality ones. (Since using animal parts was a huge part of the Native American jewelry, you can't leave them out!)

Porcupine quills, animal hides, animal tails, fur and wool were other animal parts that were widely used. Just be cautious if you’re going to be using porcupine quills, they are a little smelly!

String:

Since the Indians used only animal leathers and sinew or bartered threads to do all of their bead work with, to get an authentic feel, you may want to do the same. However, any natural looking jewelry making string or thread would still feel authentic. Wire was not something that was readily available, but is perfectly fine if you just want the look. You could even wrap your wire with hemp, twine or leather for a more natural feel. Most Native American jewelry was simply tied with lengths of leather.

Charms:

Charms weren’t something the Indians used, unless it was a charm of beadwork, a medicine pouch or animal parts. These are strictly for artistic interpretation. There are loads of different Native American charms out there. You can find anything from portrayals of Indians themselves, to their Gods, to just about any kind of North American animal you can think of. For an added personal touch, you can make your own charms.

Other Natural Elements:

You can use any sort of natural materials you can find. Even sticks, dried leaves or flowers can be incorporated into your jewelry. Any natural material that won’t spoil, can be used to make Native American jewelry.

Creating your own Native American jewelry can be fun. It gets you back in touch with nature. Some of the methods and techniques the Indians used are very simple, but create impressive effects. Try mixing up your jewelry making techniques with using only natural accent or beading materials. You could be pleasantly surprised with what you come up with.

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