Antique Indian Silver Jewelry
A brief history of Indian silver work in the Southwest
By Bruce Bernstein former Curator at the Laboratory of Anthropology and the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture in Santa Fe.
While the art of Indian-crafted silver has flourished in the 20th
century, all Indian jewelers can trace their art to a Navajo named
Atsidi Saani, who learned blacksmithing at Fort Defiance, Arizona, in
the 1850s. (It is generally believed that the Spanish colonizers of the
Southwest purposely kept the techniques of metal working from the
region's native peoples.)
When Navajo people returned to their beloved mesas and canyons in 1868,
following the four-year internment at Bosque Redondo, their new, more
settled way of living led to many changes. Among other things, as they
were no longer nomadic, they had greater opportunity to learn from each
other. The People had long admired and used metal ornaments and horse
equipment. They had used brass and copper wire to create bracelets and
coins to fashion buttons. Atsidi Saani applied his metal working
techniques, as appropriate, to silver, and he began to teach others.
Tools were crude. Smiths improvised and created their own crucibles,
bellows, and emery paper. A smith may have only had a hammer and a
piece of scrap railroad track for an anvil. Silver coins were melted or
annealed into use. The Mexican peso soon gained new favor among smiths
because it had a higher silver content than American coins.
Repoussé tools made by a machinist in the 1950s using pieces of scrap steel and automobile transmission parts.
By the 1890s, traders took advantage of the new market with silversmiths and began selling tools and silver slugs.
Silver jewelry also served as barter on the Reservation where money was
practically non-existent. Traders took silver and turquoise jewelry as
collateral, without giving a specific value to the piece, and the
customer's purchase debt was secured by the jewelry. Any pawn unclaimed
after the agreed period of not less than six months was considered
"dead" and the trader could sell it.
After 1950, the use of pawn as collateral was prohibited on the
Reservation; however, it continues to exist today on the borders of the
Reservation.Older Indian jewelry (1880-1900) may appear crude by
today's standards. Collectors of these pieces look for raised designs
created with files and chisels and not repoussé.
(Repoussage is the art of working the back of the metal, usually with a
hammer or stamp, producing raised surfaces such as the rounded concha).
As the smiths acquired better tools, they produced more elaborately
decorated pieces.
After 1950, the use of pawn as collateral was prohibited on the
Reservation; however, it continues to exist today on the borders of the
Reservation.Older Indian jewelry (1880-1900) may appear crude by
today's standards. Collectors of these pieces look for raised designs
created with files and chisels and not repoussé. (Repoussage is the art
of working the back of the metal, usually with a hammer or stamp,
producing raised surfaces such as the rounded concha). As the smiths
acquired better tools, they produced more elaborately decorated pieces.
By 1899, the Fred Harvey Company was supplying sheet metal and pre-cut,
polished turquoise to smiths through the trading posts. The smiths then
sold back to Harvey a supply of cheaply-made souvenir jewelry for
tourists.
Soon, the Harvey Company was commissioning Indian-style machine-made
jewelry. Indians may or may not have been employed for the handwork on
these assembly-line pieces. Other manufacturers followed, producing
earrings, bracelets, rings, brooches, pins, money clips, commemorative
spoons and other trinkets. Collectors of this souvenir jewelry--often
called "Harvey House" or "workshop jewelry"--look for its
machined-tooled precision and uniformity, affectation of an Indian
style, and relative delicate lines. The pieces were generally small,
sized to sell cheaply. Turquoise, when used, was treated or coated to
harden and enhance color. Designs were usually stamped, and common
motifs were thunderbirds, lightning, and bows and arrows.
The differences between authentic and imitation silverwork are subtle,
a condition exacerbated by the tendency of smiths to copy what is the
most successful or profitable, and to lower their standards for
tourists who are often looking for cheap mementos.
By the early 1900s silver jewelry continued to change, reflecting
significant advances in tools and technology. Repoussé improved as the
smiths learned to temper and harden their tools. Also, stamp work
increased as jewelers acquired the technology and supplies to make the
stamps. This form of working the metal from the front was quickly
adapted as a favored technique to accentuate repoussage or to stand
alone.
One example of the evolving aesthetic, or the way the finished silver
should look, is the degree of polish on the piece. Currently,
silversmiths prefer a high polish, whereas silversmiths of 50 or 100
years past lacked the electric buffing wheel. The older fashion left
some areas tarnished, or darkened, to enhance details.
Perhaps the best advice for prospective collectors is always to buy
from reputable dealers and to ask plenty of questions about the
materials and techniques used, and about the jeweler. Today, almost all
silver is signed or marked, or the maker is identifiable. Look for the
mark, and keep in mind that in New Mexico, it is illegal to proffer
non-Indian made jewelry as Indian-made. A reputable dealer should be
able to provide proof of authenticity in writing. If there is any
hesitation or avoidance, find another dealer.
Many buyers think they should shun treated turquoise. However, much
turquoise used today is treated in some way to strengthen it. In its
untreated state, the stone is porous, often mottled, and marked with
imperfections or inclusions. There are various types of treatments,
including coating, dyeing, infusing with hardening agents, and even
reconstituting ground turquoise. Ask the seller if, and how, the
turquoise is treated. Obviously, collectors will weigh the advantages
of different types of treatments.
Finally, collecting Indian silver should always be enjoyable. It is
still a very affordable art, and collectors enjoy a wide range of
styles and designs. Learning about the history, techniques, materials
and the makers offers insights into cultures that are often trivialized
by our mass society. A fine, well-made piece of silver has universal
appeal; it wears well anywhere, anytime and with almost any style of
dress. Buy what you love and wear it often.
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