Any discussion of the skill and craftsmanship of American jewelers would be woefully incomplete without mentioning Native American jewelers. Native American jewelers belong to a tradition of Native American jewelry making that spans and thousands of years.

History of Native American Jewelers

In virtually every tribe from every region of North America, Native American jewelers have passed down their traditions of jewelry making from generation to generation. These Native American jewelers gathered a variety of materials to complete their craft. Materials such as bones, animal teeth, leather, shells, wood, and stones such as turquoise have all been used in jewelry making for centuries.

For example, more than 1,500 years ago, Native American jewelers from the Algonquin peoples (in the Northeastern part of what is now the United States) crafted jewelry from beads known as wampum. Wampum beads are beads made out of white-colored shells such as clamshells. Wampum played an extremely important role in trade between tribes throughout the region, even passing into other regions of the country.

In particular, Native American jewelers from the Narrangansett tribe along the Atlantic coast held jewelry-making workshops. These jewelers were so prized in their culture that jewelry played a role in the afterlife, as well.

For example, Narrangansett tribes buried their Native American jewelers with tools for making jewelry and wampum materials in order to continue their work in the next world. It is also important to note that these craftsmen are just one example of the many jewelers that operated throughout history and throughout North America.

Native American Jewelers Today

Today, Native American jewelers are celebrated more than ever as the foremost expert jewelry makers in North America. For example, many famous American jewelers come from tribes in the Southwestern region of the United States, where they combine silver and turquoise into elaborate and stunning creations.

Known as silversmiths, these jewelers use traditional tools to pound down silver and shape and carve it into bracelets, beads, earrings, necklaces, pendants, rings, and more. Native American jewelers will also inlay their crafted silver with precious stones, such as the highly valued turquoise stone that is famous for its stunning, vibrant blue-green color. These stones are polished and shaped in a variety of styles, and inlaid expertly into the jewelry.

In addition, there are countless, highly-skilled Native American jewelers working today with materials other than silver and turquoise from traditional shell beads to leather cuffs and beyond. Without a doubt, these jewelers are some of the finest American jewelers operating today.