Posts Tagged jewelry
American Indian Silver Jewelry
Posted by andrew in Silver Jewelry Trends on May 3, 2010
While many people favor the luster of gold adornment, there are an equal number who appreciate beautiful jewelry in other metals, particularly silver.Whether it’s necklaces, earrings, bracelets, or specialty pieces, silver is spectacular. In North America Native Americans have been practicing silver arts for centuries.
American Indian silver jewelry has a long tradition that goes back to days before colonization. Silver, as well as other metals, beads, shells and stones were used in creating traditional jewelry long before the colonialists arrived.
Different native tribes had their own specific ways of making crafts and the traditional ways of making jewelry were never lost even after colonization. Silver had been used in jewelry making before the arrival of the Spanish, but Spanish colonialists taught silversmith’s skills to local artists from the Pueblo, the Hopi and the Navajo tribes. New skills and new materials were simply combined with older traditions and techniques.
Of all the different American Indian artists, Navajo silver artists are probably the best known. Traditional jewelry created by the Navajos included silver bracelets, concho belts and necklaces, but later the artists also started producing buckles, rings, ear rings and ornaments to be used in the hair. To begin with, Navajo artists used old coins from the U.S. and from Mexico to create their jewelry. Beads and gemstones have been used to decorate the jewelry and turquoise has been often added into Navajo jewelry, but the main focus is on intricate silver work and traditional designs. Some of the designs date back centuries and some of the most popular images include animals: eagles, bears, wolves and buffalo.
Many Navajo artists today are part of a long line of silver artists in the southwest. Some of the most beautiful examples of Native American jewelry include the squash blossom necklace.
Tradition is strong in the western United States. Gentlemens casual clothing can include a silver and turquoise cowboy bolo tie and boots, instead of more contemporary attire.
Silver, and Native American silverwork in particular, are both classics that will continue to be appreciated today and by generations to come.
Sterling Silver Heart Charms
Posted by andrew in Silver Jewelry Trends on April 12, 2010
Charm bracelets are not just for young ladies. A woman can own a bracelet featuring charms that commemorate important events in her life, such as a wedding or birth of a child. And sterling silver heart charms can be an important part of such a bracelet. These charms can even be featured on a necklace, if you prefer.
Hearts and heart jewelry are the classic symbol of love and devotion. You might want to have your own charm bracelet and add different styles of hearts in sterling silver for each important event that occurs in your life. You may want to have a heart for your wedding day, and to signify the importance of that day, it could contain a diamond or some other precious stone. If you have children, heart charms featuring their birthstones would be a lovely addition to your jewelry collection. Or you may want a heart charm with your own birthstone, or that of your spouse.
Your bracelet may feature one solitary heart charm. Or you could have a number of hearts running the length of the bracelet. Your heart can either be solid or of an open design. It might be a puffed heart. If you would like something dainty and feminine, a filigree heart would be perfect. And marcasite hearts have a touch of the old-fashioned look.
Whatever style bracelet and heart you would like to have, you can be assured that sterling silver is a wise choice for a bracelet. It goes well with any color you might happen to be wearing, and it looks just as nice with a dressy outfit as it does with very casual attire. Sterling silver heart charms can signify something special that has happened to you. Or these charms can simply be a pretty piece of jewelry that you fell in love with and wanted for your own. So treat yourself to one or more heart charms of sterling silver.