If you like contemporary Native American art of a function or wearable nature, you must have turquoise necklaces. Ever since the 1860s, the Native Americans have been developing their own metal smithing and jewelry making traditions. Throughout the Twentieth Century, the style of the metal work and turquoise used in it was identifiable to a specific Native American tribe.
Some First Peoples artists prefer to work with both turquoise and coral. Although the turquoise in use for the last one hundred years came from the southwest states of the US, even today the coral for a turquoise and coral necklace has to be imported. The red contrasts nicely with the sky blue turquoise, and with some silver around them or interspersed with the coral and stones, the turquoise coral necjlace is beautiful.
Wearable and portable arts are the backbone of the artistic efforts of the First Peoples, due to their traditional way of life. Thus, the Native American man and woman wore their wealth on their person in the form of a silver turquoise necklace, bracelets and rings. Even now, when that may not be true, they still like to wear jewelry crafted by their older generation or new artists, to show pride in their Native American art.
Native American turquoise comes mainly from five southwestern states, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico. This places it squarely in the areas where most of the Native American reservations are located. There are also, or have been, considerable numbers of silver mines in this same region, although most of the Native Americans use jeweler’s sterling silver for their jewelry. This makes turquoise jewelry truly native North American art.
If you have a turquoise bead necklace, treat it well, keeping it away from oils and materials that can stain the turquoise, a porous stone, and wrapping it up by itself when not being worn. With a little care your Native American art can be worn and preserved into the next generation.