Even before the Europeans stepped on American soil, Native Americans were already proficient jewelers. They were making jewelry as part of their religious expressions and as adornment for their body. The popular base materials of the native craftsmen for jewelry construction were amber, turquoise, copper and possibly the most famous of them all is the purest forms of silver which is sterling.
Pure or sterling silver wasn’t used significantly not until it was introduced by the Spanish to the natives in the early 1800s together with more advance methods of metalworking. Prior to sterling silver, the natives used the “German silver” – it is a mixture of shiny metals comprised mainly of zinc, nickel and copper. German silver can be considered as an inferior product compared to purer and much expensive sterling silver.
Silver jewelry has been one of the favorite of since its discovery. It was proven to be versatile and can be formed to almost anything imaginable. It has been used for aesthetic and functional purposes. Silver was used to make flatware for the table and armors for protection of soldiers during battles. Over time, silver has been utilized to make decorative arts, dental fillings, coins, jewelry and more.
The Navajos were the first among the tribes to use sterling silver in smithing techniques. In accordance from the top recent researches, Atsidi Sani, was the first Navajo silversmith. It was said that in 1850’s, Atsidi Sani apparently learnt blacksmithing from the Spanish and then consequently in the 1860’s move forward into silversmithing.
Native American jewelry particularly the early silver jewelries are made by craftsmen by obtaining their silver from both Mexican and U.S. minted coins. These coins contained fine silver. The Mexican silver is easier to work with amongst the two and is favored by the Navajos. Aside from the coins though, sterling silver could be acquired from objects made of metal like silverware and candlesticks, these materials are then melted down and fashioned to their imagination.
The early purpose for the use of sterling silver in jewelry making was upon bolos, belts, and other native and traditional costumes and items used in religious ceremonies. From these traditional crafts transpired items of jewelry which are more recognizable to those of European lineage. Native American jewelry is now made mostly from sterling silver consisting of jewelry pieces like that of earrings, rings, bracelets, necklaces, and the like.
Native Americans are continuously making jewelry until today. And sterling silver is still a primary material in making their crafts. Instead of superseding their traditional native crafts, they made use of more modern technology and added a few newer materials to aid in the improvement of the final products they produced.
Nowadays, you can find modern sterling silver jewelries, ranging from sterling silver rings, sterling silver necklaces, and sterling silver bracelets being made by them. This newer Native American jewelry is a manifestation of the influence of the ancient American artisans in making jewelry crafts such as these. GP
