Style Differences in Native American Indian JewelryThe
jewelry on our site is made primarily by the Navajo,
Zuni, Santo
Domingo Pueblo and Hopi
Indians of the Southwest United States. To start out with, we'd like to give you
an idea of how their style of jewelry making differs from each other. At the bottom
of this page are links to more information on each tribe. Navajo - The Navajo were the first silversmiths. The commonly design jewelry around a stone's natural shape.
Zuni - The Zuni are stonesmiths that cuts stones to fit into a precise geometric pattern or design. They tend to use four traditional colors:
The Zuni also produce meticulous Needlepoint (narrow stones pointed on both ends) and Petit Point (any other small cut stone shape such as oval, teardrop etc.) pieces, often in clusters. Most
snake designs are done by the Zuni. Hopi
- The Hopi are silversmiths and design pieces mostly of solid silver with a cutout Hallmark: Rio Grande Pueblo Indians live in pueblos (villages) along the Rio Grande (Big River). Sometimes they are referred to as the Santo Domingo Pueblo Indians but there are many pueblos and Santo Domingo is just one. Others include Acoma, Laguna, Isleta, Santa Clara, Taos and others. In fact pueblos cover an area from approximately Taos, New Mexico to Albuquerque. Each pueblo is very separate and its inhabitants are often of different ethnic groups and speak different languages.
Navajo Indians Zuni Indians Hopi Indians Pueblo Indians Lakota Sioux |