Learn About American Jewelry

American Jewelry making began thousands of years ago by the Native Americans who originally lived on this continent. American Silver Jewelry began in South America as Silver was first discovered there. Forms of Native American Jewelry making began several thousand year ago, however, we are certain the Anasazi Indians of the Southwestern regions of North America discovered Turquoise around 300 B.C. and Native American Turquoise Jewelry items have been found dating prior to 200 B.C. Native American Silver Jewelry in the Southwestern regions of North America around 1865 and Plains Indian Tribes made Silver Jewelry prior to 1800 A.D.

Today (2011), silver American Jewelry, has been called the new Gold Jewelry as the cost of Gold has nearly topped $1300.00 per ounce. Silver has also risen in value to new heights of over $30.00 per once and predictions for Silver are that it will reach $130.00 per ounce by 2016. It is said that American Silver Jewelry is one of the best investments in American Jewelry today and for the future.

American Jewelry is some of the most creative and artistic Jewelry in the world. Certainly you realize North America was the first Industrialized Nation in the world and consumerism was organized as a result of Industrialization. The development of American Jewelry was escalated due to the Industrialization of our country which has given American Jewelry an leading edge.

There are many types of American Jewelry, however, Durango Silver Company is from Durango, Colorado USA and this document is about our relationship to American Jewelry, American Silver Jewelry, American Turquoise Jewelry, Native American Jewelry and Native American Silver Jewelry from the Southwestern regions of the United States. We are proud to be American Jewelry designers and happy to produce Silver Jewelry "Made in America" by an American Jewelry Company.

Durango Silver Company has been in American Jewelry business for nearly forty years producing American Silver Jewelry from the Southwest. We have specialized in Native American Silver Jewelry produced by our company as well as by Native American Indian Silver Jewelry Artisans. Our gemstone of choice is Turquoise as it has a great history in our region that dates back thousands of years, however, we also produce American Silver Jewelry with many other types of gemstones as well as plain Silver Jewelry.

Our specialty is American Jewelry from the American Southwest.

Silver American Jewelry

American Silver Jewelry made by our company is considerably different than Silver Jewelry made by other companies, we have been known for producing high quality Silver Jewelry. Quality American Silver Jewelry is one of our greatest priorities and is also one of the reasons our Jewelry design is done in-house. We do subcontract our American Silver Jewelry to be made by other companies as well as Native American Indians, however, we furnish the gemstones used in the Jewelry as well as the Jewelry design developed by our staff.

Durango Silver Company makes a wide array of American Silver Jewelry. Our Silver Jewelry can be identified as being authentic from our company by a Jewelry hallmark that is on each piece of Jewelry we make. It should be important to you when buying or investing in American Silver Jewelry that there is a Jewelers hallmark on the Silver Jewelry you purchase as there has always been pirates in the Jewelry business and there no lack of them in the American Jewelry business today. Look for Jewelry hallmarks and the Sterling Silver authenticity stamp as well.

Durango Silver Company makes both Women's as well as Mens Silver Jewelry. American Jewelry with a Southwestern Jewelry design is our focus, however, we are capable of producing any style of Silver Jewelry upon request, and of course all of our jewelry is 100% American Jewelry.

Mens Silver American Jewelry items include:

Mens Silver Rings, Mens Silver Pendants, Mens Silver Necklaces and Mens Silver Bracelets

Above are four pieces of mens Silver Jewelry that is classic American Jewelry made by Native Americans in the Southwest in 925 Sterling Silver. The upper left photo is of a Mens Silver Ring with a blue Turquoise stone from Arizona. The upper right photo is of a Mens Silver Pendant that was produced by our company with an outstanding piece of American Turquoise from the Royston Mine near Tonopah, Nevada. The bottom left photo is of a Mens Silver Necklace which was Native American handcrafted and is an outstanding example of true American Jewelry from Southwestern USA. This is a really great example of the highend American Turquoise Necklacesbeing made today. The Mens Silver Bracelet on the lower right was Navajo handmade in Sterling Silver, it is a good example of the fantastic stampwork the Navajo Silversmiths are well known for. The Navajo Indian Silversmiths are probably the most well known artisans for handcrafted Silver Jewelry in America.

Women's Silver Jewelry items include:

Women Silver Rings, Women's Silver Pendants, Women's Silver Necklaces, Women's Silver Earrings, Women's Silver Bracelets and much more!

Above are great examples of Women's American Jewelry handmade in the Southwestern regions of the USA. The Women's Silver Ring in the upper left photo is a 925 Sterling Silver Jewelry piece made by a Navajo Artisan, it features classic Silverwork not scene by other Silversmiths globally. The upper right photo is a beautiful Women's Silver Pendant or Women's Silver Necklace produced by Durango Silver Company with an outstanding piece of Nevada Blue Turquoise, this is 925 Silver Jewelry. On the bottom left is a pair of Silver Jewelry Earrings which is fine Silver Jewelry of the American Southwest, Navajo handcrafted, they feature Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Stones in a Navajo cluster style. The Bracelet in the lower right was made by John Hartman who is a master Silver and Gold Jewelry maker from Durango, Colorado. It was made in the lost wax method and created by applying layer over layer of wax to create the design.

Native American Jewelry

Native American Jewelry to our company means Artisan handmade American Jewelry made by individuals that were born and raised in North America. Our Native American Silver Jewelry is made by our family as well as Native American Indians from this Southwestern region of the United States. Our Native American Jewelry is primarily made with Sterling Silver and each piece of Silver Jewelry is an individual piece of Native American Jewelry handcrafted and produced under the direction of our staff. The Silver Jewelry designs our Jewelry incorporate are primarily created by John Hartman, Dillon Hartman, Nattarika Hartman and Crystal Hartman. The Jewelry designs are influenced by our Southwestern lifestyle as this is our native home, we enjoy Southwestern living and it shows in the Jewelry design of our work.

Native American Silver Jewelry

Native American Silver Jewelry with a Southwestern Jewelry design and style is our specialty! We have been very active in Southwestern Jewelry design for over forty years as are directly responsible for many of the Jewelry designs that have came out of the Southwest in the past. Native American Silver Jewelry is constantly inspired and pushing the boundries. We have been actively producing for our own market as well as developing and producing Jewelry designs for other companies worldwide.

Our brick and mortar Jewelry Store has been in the same location in Durango, Colorado USA since 1976. We originally built our building to be a Southwestern Silver Jewelry Store and outlet for the Silver Jewelry we had previously been marketing on the road wholesale. Today Durango Silver Company is a family run business and all five of us work daily on producing and marketing Native American Silver Jewelry.

American Indian Silver Jewelry

We deal in and produce American Indian Silver Jewelry from the Southwest. We got into American Indian Jewelry as we were from the Southwest, we wore American Indian Silver Jewelry and associated with Native Americans. When Estell and I (John) got out of school, we got into the American Indian Silver Jewelry business buying and selling Turquoises Jewelry. We became Silver and Goldsmiths to repair Jewelry as will as help the Indian Silversmiths with varied tasks which enabled us to get Indian Silver Jewelry nobody else could find. American Indian Silver Jewelry has become a staple of modern silver jewelry.

American Indian Silversmiths from the Southwest are the Navajo, Hopi and Zuni Indians.

Navajo American Jewelry

The Navajo Silversmiths reside on the largest Indian Reservation in North America which is located within the borders of three states: Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. The nation is approximately the size of West Virginia which is over 24,000 square miles. The majority of the Navajo American Indian Silver Jewelry is made near Gallup, New Mexico and across to Flagstaff, Arizona. The Navajo are known for their handcrafted Silver Jewelry with exceptional Silverwork, however, they do use a lot of Turquoise in their Jewelry. The do heavy stampwork, repose, (raised silver), and bezel work around gemstones. The Navajo have made the largest share of American Indian Silver Jewelry in the past and still do into the future. Navajo American Indian Jewelry is some of the most popular silver jewelry in the world.

The two pieces of Turquoise Jewelry above are both Navajo Hand Crafted Silver Jewelry and are all American Jewelry, that is just as American as it gets! The Turquoise and Silver Pendant to the left has a beautiful blue Turquoise stone with a simplistic yet elegant Sterling Silver design that it typical of Navajo Silverwork. To the right is a classic style Navajo Row Bracelet, this style of Silver Bracelet has been made by the Navajo Silversmiths for over a hundred years and is still popular.

Zuni Indian American Jewelry

The Zuni Indians reside about 32 miles southeast of Gallup on the Zuni Indian Reservation. The Zuni Reservation is reasonably small as the Zuni population is less than 9,000 people. The Zuni Indians are known for their lapidary skills and do some of the finest handcrafted stone inlay work in the world. They also cut tiny gemstones, mainly Turquoise, and set many individual stones in artistic patterns to make what is called needlepoint and petit point American Indian Silver Jewelry. The Zuni make some of the most contemporary Native American Jewelry today. Zuni made Silver jewelry is wonderful to own as it is truely American Jewelry and a piece of Americana.

To the left is a Zuni Indian Petit Point Silver Bracelet which is a classic design the Zuni craftsmen are well known for. The Zuni's hand cut each stone and create the Silver designed Jewelry to accommodate their stonework. To the right is a pair of Zuni Inlay Earrings, the Zuni have perfected Turquoise Inlay Jewelry and then the went on to create this colorful style of Jewelry that is loved by Jewelry coinsures worldwide. Zuni Indian Jewelry is American Jewelry that has been recognized worldwide for being some of the most innovative Jewelry made by man. These are great examples of American Jewelry.

Hopi Indian American Jewelry

The Hopi Indians live on the Hopi Indian Reservation which is located inside the northern part of the Navajo Reservation. The Hopi Reservation has over 2500 square miles of land and is surrounded by the Navajo Reservation on all sides. The Hopi Indians are known for their handmade Silver Jewelry and Silver overlay work. They saw out geometrical and pictorial designs on a top Silver sheet and sweat solder it onto a back silver plate to create a beautiful style of American Indian Silver Jewelry. Below are some wonderful examples of genuine American Jewelry.

Handmade Silver Jewelry by the Hopi Indians is American Jewelry at it very best and I do believe each and every Silversmith worldwide will agree, these American Indian Artisans create some of the finest handcrafted Silver Jewelry on earth. The Silver Bolo Tie to the left depicts the "Man in the Maze" design the Hopi are known for, the dark areas are hand sawn out of the top piece of Silver and then overlay on a back Silver plate. This is intense work and very few attempt to copy it. The Bear Paw Silver Bracelet to the right is a beautiful piece of Hopi Silverwork that has great design but less intense silver work. The two pieces of jewelry above are wonderful examples of authentic American Jewelry.

Silver Jewelry Club

Are you interested in American Jewelry and Silver Jewelry? If the answer is yes, you should join our Newsletter and our Silver Jewelry Club. Once a month we produce a Newsletter that has great information on American Jewelry, Sterling Silver Jewelry, Southwestern Silver Jewelry and Turquoise Jewelry. It also has information about the Four Corners regions of the Southwest including Mesa Verde National Park. In addition, we have a monthly drawing for our free Silver Jewelry Giveaway. Each month we randomly choose several individuals to give away Silver Jewelry from our company, totally Free Turquoise Jewelry. Join our American Jewelry club today and become one our friends! Learn everything you have ever wanted to know about 925 Silver Jewelry.

We hope you have enjoyed our presentation American Jewelry and have gained some useful knowledge from it. We invite you to learn more about Turquoise and Turquoise Jewelry by following the links in our Learning Center to other informational pages that we have written on different topics related to Turquoise Jewelry. In addition, we would like to invite you to join our E-Mail Newsletter and our Silver Jewelry Club. About once every other month we send out a Newsletter to inform our members of what's happening with Durango Silver Company, new products, specials for our members and more. We also have a monthly drawing from our member base to give away free Turquoise Jewelry from our company. Please take a moment to become one of our friends by signing in below. Thank you for reading about American Jewelry.