Native American jewelry and gifts are frequently created by working with silver and turquoise. Turquoise is usually a soft gemstone that is worked with and refined with old fashioned instruments. Silver is also soft. It melts at a very low temperature, and can be worked on with simple tools. Silver and turquoise jewelry has been around for many, many centuries.
Native American jewelry can potentially be made from many materials. The common silver and turquoise jewelry is extremely popular. You cannot assume, however, that all Native Americans make silver and turquoise jewelry. Silver and turquoise jewelry has been created by the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi, and Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. The Native Americans from the Southwest who definitely are primarily renowned for their jewelry would be the Zuni, Hopi, and Navajo peoples.
The Zuni are widely recognized for their extremely delicate stonework, and they very rarely do just simple, basic silver and turquoise jewelry. Probably the most classic Zuni design of jewelry is known as petit point. This can be recognized by very small turquoise gemstones each reinforced in its personal bezel. It is quite time-consuming work and it is extremely fine in looks. The Zunis are notable for making use of silver and turquoise from the Sleeping Beauty Mine. Creators and artists from the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and Santo Domingo tribes have garnered worldwide attention and a sterling reputation for their unique silver and turquoise jewelry. There are also several other great examples of jewelry that have been created by members of other Native American tribes.
Today, the silver and turquoise jewelry-making tradition endures. Following their legendary and historical techniques, silver and turquoise Native American jewelry continues to impress the critical eye with works of art utilizing methods handed down from one generation to another.