Customer Reviews

A Guide to Indian Jewelry of the Southwest

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This tiny 46-page book is big on information. In it, you'll learn to recognize tribal jewelry styles and techniques. Although the first native American to learn silversmithing is not known, it appears to have begun among the Navajo in the 1850s, then was passed to the Zuni and Hopi.

When the railroads opened the Wild West, silverwork began to respond not just to the tastes of the silversmiths themselves, but to the travelers looking for a souvenir of their encounter with the exotic Southwest inhabitants.

The Navajo developed their style of setting large stones into cast, hammered, and stamped silver. The Zuni made clusterwork their forte, setting small turquoise stones in silver, called petitpoint and needlepoint. You'll learn the differences among mosaic, channel, and overlay inlays, about Pueblo fetish, and Santo Domingo heishi. The book shows both old and modern jewelry styles and is pocket-sized for easy reference when shopping.

This is a great book for someone becoming acquainted with jewelry of the Southwest. The book contains background information about the region and the distinction between the Hopi,Zuni,and Navajo jewelry, as well as some other silver-smithing techniques used by the Indians

Was purchased as a gift for a friend with a new interest in Native American jewelry. This book provided clear, well organized information about styles, discriminating 'fake' from 'real' and history. I think it will help my friend as she shops for Indian Jewelry in the Southwest.

This small, slender booklet is too superficial, incomplete, and minor to be of any use. Even for those seeking only a quick overview of what is in actuality a complex, evolving, fascinating art form will find this one too scanty to be helpful.