Southwest Native American Jewelry generally comes from the Southwest area of the United States. Southwest Indian Jewelry generally is found in Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and parts of Texas and Oklahoma. Native American tribes most commonly referred to when thinking of Southwest Native American Jewelry are the Navajo and Hopi tribes. Several Pueblo people's also create Southwest Native American Jewelry and they include the Acoma Pueblo, Cochiti Pueblo, Jemez Pueblo, Nambe Pueblo, Picuris Pueblo, San Felipe Pueblo, San Ildefonso Pueblo, Santa Domingo Pueblo, Santa Clara Pueblo, and Zuni Pueblo. Several of the above mentioned tribes and pueblo's are also well-known for creating distinctive Southwestern pottery. Most famous are the Santa Clara who are well-known for their distinctive red and black hand coiled pottery. Many other pueblo's are also well-known for their pottery and they include the Acoma Pueblo and Hopi tribe.
Southwest Native American Jewelry is 100% Sterling Silver and occasionally can be found in Nickel Silver though Nickel Silver jewelry in the Southwest is rare is usually associated with knock off jewelry from Mexico. Sterling silver jewelry is not 100% pure silver but instead has to be at least 92.5% sterling silver and also has other metals with it to give it strength. This is because pure silver is too soft and would not last in the form of jewelry. Copper is the metal most commonly added to silver to make it sterling silver.
Southwest Native American Jewelry can be found in both traditional and contemporary styles. The contemporary styles often use different stones and minerals from around the world. Such minerals include gaspeite, lapis, opal, jet, onyx, tiger eye, and many more. Traditional styles most often will be found with larger pieces of turquoise from mines around the Southwest United States.
You can purchase Southwest Native American Jewelry at http://www.southwestselections.com
