| The Beautiful blue and green hues of turquoise | | | | market. The squash-blossom craze lasted until |
| have long been prized by the Native American | | | | 1940, when they were discontinued by most |
| peoples of the southwestern part of the USA. | | | | Indian artisans for requiring too much work and |
| Entire cultures were built on mining turquoise and | | | | too much turquoise. |
| crafting sacred and special items from the | | | | In the 1920's and 1930's, the concho belt changed |
| attractive stone in areas which are now part of | | | | from a simple silver belt to a more ornate belt |
| both New Mexico and Nevada. American Indian | | | | with one to multiple turquoise stones in all the |
| peoples were making necklace strands and other | | | | individual sections of the belt. The tourist jewelry |
| turquoise jewelry by hand many centuries before | | | | of that era is highly collectable today. It began to |
| the first European settlers arrived. Because | | | | be noticed that sales of Native American jewelry |
| turquoise was so highly prized, it was widely | | | | had significant potential to provide a reliable |
| exchanged and circulated among the Native | | | | income source to tribal members across Arizona |
| peoples of the Americas, and the each of the | | | | and New Mexico. During those years, schools and |
| tribes developed their own unique names for the | | | | classes were established at several reservations |
| striking blue stone. Scientific testing has proven | | | | to train young men in the trade of making Native |
| that some ancient beads found in central and | | | | American style Sterling and turquoise jewelry. In |
| South America were originally dug from the | | | | the following decades, many very talented artists |
| Cerrillos turquoise mines near Santa Fe, New | | | | came out of these schools. During the years |
| Mexico. | | | | following WWII, many Americans traveled across |
| When the Europeans brought the technology of | | | | the country, and on their trips through the |
| working metals like silver with them to the new | | | | Arizona-New Mexico area, discovered that local |
| world, the American Indians who learned the silver | | | | traders had rooms full of this Native American |
| smith trade learned eventually began to add | | | | jewelry, which the traders called pawn pieces. |
| turquoise with the silver to develop their own | | | | Most of these were jewelry pieces the Indian |
| special style of jewelry. A Zuni man by the name | | | | people made for themselves and pawned for one |
| of Kineshde is believed to be the first to add | | | | of two reasons: either they needed money, or it |
| turquoise to the hand crafted silver items he was | | | | was considered a safe storage place. As a result |
| making in the late 1800s. | | | | of the popularity of these pawn pieces, a host of |
| Turquoise first came into popular high fashion in | | | | trading posts sprang up in the Southwest and |
| the US during the early 1890s, but Persian | | | | knowledge of this unique style of jewelry became |
| turquoise was the focus of the demand at that | | | | much more widespread. New jewelry was also |
| time, and only a few deposits of high quality | | | | created to meet the growing tourist demand. |
| turquoise were known in the US. In the following | | | | Those who appreciated the beautiful American |
| years, a number of high quality deposits | | | | turquoise began to recognize the general |
| previously worked by Native Americans were | | | | differences in matrix patterns and color, etc. |
| "rediscovered", and shortly after 1900 and | | | | between the different mine sources. During this |
| Americans began to recognize that American | | | | time, which extended to the early 1950's, |
| turquoise from the Western US was the equal of | | | | turquoise began to be named, for sales purposes, |
| any in the world. Interest again began to peak | | | | after the mine in which it was found, such as |
| around 1908-1910, and a considerable amount of | | | | Lone Mountain, Royston, Blue Gem, and others. |
| American turquoise was mined, especially in | | | | An increasing number of American Indians |
| Nevada. The majority of the Turquoise jewelry | | | | continued to handcraft silver jewelry in the 1950s |
| produced prior to 1910 was made by well-known | | | | and early 1960's in the traditional way. Up to that |
| jewelry manufacturing companies like Tiffany's, | | | | time their work was generally popular only in the |
| and was produced in the standard Victorian styles | | | | southwest region of the US, but the increasing |
| of those times. | | | | amount of material available began to enable a |
| None of this was what we would recognize as | | | | larger audience to see and appreciate this beautiful |
| Indian style turquoise jewelry. There were a few | | | | style of jewelry art. Even so, it did not become |
| Native Americans making turquoise and silver | | | | widely popular across the entire US until the late |
| pieces in what we now see as the traditional | | | | 1960's and early 1970's. At that time the simple |
| style, but they produced very few pieces and | | | | and natural beauty of turquoise jewelry became |
| their very simple tools increased the man hours | | | | the rage of the American fashion scene. The |
| each piece needed for completion. That era was | | | | prices of the old pawn jewelry rocketed upward, |
| essentially the dawn of the traditional styles for | | | | and a craze for Indian turquoise jewelry swelled |
| silver-turquoise jewelry. America's fascination with | | | | and boosted demand (and prices) for turquoise to |
| turquoise and genuine Indian Jewelry really began | | | | previously undreamed levels. The increased prices |
| in earnest during the 1920's when more people | | | | and demand caused the re-opening of many |
| from outside the southwest began to see the | | | | mines and the import of Indian "style" jewelry |
| beauty of this artistic jewelry. | | | | made by manufacturers in Mexico, Taiwan, and |
| At that time, the Harvey House restaurant chain | | | | the Philippines. In time, the market became |
| opened a number of facilities across the | | | | glutted, the consumer was confused by |
| southwest during the great days of popular rail | | | | overpriced synthetic, stabilized and plastic imitation |
| travel across the US. At first, Indian Jewelry was | | | | materials and by 1981 the supply was high but the |
| only sold as curios in the restaurants for the | | | | demand was gone. |
| patrons touring the west. Earrings and thin, small | | | | The market collapsed and most of the American |
| bracelets stamped with arrows and bows and | | | | turquoise mines were shut down and have |
| containing symmetrically cut small oval pieces of | | | | remained closed since that time. Turquoise |
| turquoise were the types most in demand. The | | | | demand hit a low water mark in the early 1980s, |
| pieces produced during this time are still termed | | | | but has been slowly and steadily increasing in |
| as having been made in the "Fred Harvey" style. | | | | popularity since that time. Most American mines |
| Heavy Indian Jewelry did not become popular until | | | | have remained closed, and in recent years high |
| after 1925, when the classic squash-blossom | | | | demand for natural American turquoise has |
| necklaces were first brought to the tourist | | | | caused once again significant increases in prices. |