The Navajo turquoise jewelry history identifies that the Navajo nation wore this natural stone only in certain ceremonies and rituals because it represented health, happiness and protection against misfortune. According to Navajo turquoise jewelry history, the tribe learned how to fashion natural gems into necklaces through their interaction with Spaniards during the 19th century.
This historic gem, as identified through Navajo turquoise jewelry history, is naturally formed in different colors, depending upon other minerals which it interacts with. These include copper and iron which gives it a glue/green coloring and zinc for a light yellowish coloring.
Navajo turquoise jewelry history shows that turquoise mining deposits were and are located in:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- Virginia
- Utah
Navajo Turquoise Jewelry History: Turquoise Gem Stone Powers
These arid mountainous states still contain some veins of turquoise stones that are mined, even in this modern environment. Additional Navajo turquoise jewelry history has shown that the turquoise gem stone was believed to hold mystical powers and to give the wearers confidence and strength. According to Navajo turquoise jewelry history, this gem stone was commonly used in Native American necklaces, bracelets and anklets.
Navajo Turquoise Jewelry History: Turquoise Navajo Usage
The Navajo turquoise jewelry history states that tribes in the Southwest territories of the U.S., didn’t use metals in their jewelry styles. Navajo turquoise jewelry history identifies Navajo Indians as fashioning turquoise within wood, leather, animal hide, bone and shells for their original jewelry designs.
Further, Navajo turquoise jewelry history denotes that the Navajo, Zuni and Hopi nations began using silver in their jewelry designs around the 1850’s. The Indian tribes only used turquoise jewelry for their inter-tribal use up until the 1900’s, when the Navajo turquoise jewelry history states that traders and settlers, became enamored of this sky blue stone gem and started wearing it themselves.
Navajo Turquoise Jewelry History: Turquoise Healing Stone
The turquoise jewelry produced by non-Indian people were designed quite differently than the Navajo tribes religious and cultural designs, as identified in Navajo turquoise jewelry history. Navajo turquoise jewelry history identifies many different words to describe this natural gem stone, such as the “sky stone.”
It is common knowledge throughout the Navajo turquoise jewelry history that the Navajo nation believed that the earth as alive. This includes that all things that were in it and on it, being considered precious and had a voice to speak to them.
The Navajo turquoise jewelry history identifies Navajo medicine men, carrying these precious and uniquely designed stones for medicinal and healing use. Navajo turquoise jewelry history states that if a tribal member’s turquoise stone became cracked or broken, especially in a fight, they believed that the stone took a blow or took an injury that could have occurred to them.