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Fine jewelry is not only found in major cultural centers such as New York and Paris. It has been produced by artisans and designers around the globe, using techniques steeped in local traditions and materials that are often as indigenous as the craftspeople sitting at their jeweler’s workbenches.

The earliest examples of Native American jewelry are usually called "old pawn," a phrase t...

Navajo artisans were also the first Native Americans to work with turquoise, which was common to the Southwest before it was mined out. The best Navajo necklaces and bracelets were labeled with the name of their source mine, just like a fine wine is labeled with the vineyard that has supplied its grapes. Due to the scarcity of local stone, it wasn’t long before high-quality turquoise was being imported, while softer, poorer-quality turquoise was often treated with resin to make it hard.

Other tribes worked with different materials to develop their own signature styles. The Pueblo, especially members of the Santa Domingo tribe, were highly skilled when it came to shell necklaces and mosaics. The Zuni added turquoise to the Navajo squash blossoms, and they also pioneered the use of red coral. As for the Hopi, their specialty has long been pins and other objects with patterns and treatments that suggest a textile heritage.

Farther south, in Mexico, silversmithing had been practiced for centuries. Indeed, Mexican silversmiths were the ones who taught the Navajo their trade. An American named William Spratling saw an opportunity to build on this legacy when, in 1931, he established a retail outlet for Mexican jewelry near the silver-mining center of Taxco.

Spratling’s designs borrowed liberally from pre-Columbian motifs, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that as his shop succeeded and imitators sprang up nearby, his designs themselves appropriated. Some competitors were actively encouraged. In fact, the Taxco School, as it is known today, was formed largely from former Spratling employees such as the Castillo brothers, Héctor Aguilar, and Antonio Pineda. Naturally, these artisans and their shops became incubators for still more generations of silversmiths.

The other great region for fine jewelry is Scandinavia. Copenhagen’s Georg Jensen is probably the best-known practitioner there. Founded in 1904, his firm built upon his fondness for the organic embellishment of Art Nouveau to create stunning pieces that heralded a new tradition of silver craftsmanship. His jewelry featured flowers, bunches of grapes, birds, and other animals. Though he briefly flirted with gold and silvers of varying fineness, in 1933 sterling silver became the rule at Jensen, which gives collectors of his early work an easy way to date a vintage piece.

Jensen was not the only producer of the Scandinavian Modern style. The Hans Hansen silversmithy produced jewelry by the likes of Karl Gustav Hansen, Bent Gabrielsen, and Anni and Bent Knudsen. N.E. From specialized in organic-geometric pieces, while Jørgen Jensen (no relation to Georg) staked his reputation on pewter.

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Recent News: Ethnic Jewelry

Source: Google News

Sacramento museum day celebration at Sojourner Truth Mulitcultural Art Museum
The Sacramento Press, February 6th

The day's events included cultural performances, storytelling, arts and crafts activities for children, food demonstrations and vendors displays of ethnic jewelry, greeting cards and well as original works of art. “We had a beautiful event today,”...Read more

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I have unconsciously become a collector of tribal jewelry, particularly earrings. I bought a beautiful small painting by Iranian woman artist, Laleh Khoramian, from her New York gallery. A photograph from the “Women of Allah,” series at Annina Nosei...Read more

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installations on the street, aspiring writers who rush to register quickly for the limited spots at fiction and poetry workshops, and women in crisp cotton saris who spend time browsing through the handloom fabrics and tribal jewelry on sale...Read more

Community update
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class for new owners of Kindle, Nook, iPad and other devices, 5 to 7 pm Thursday; “Libraries Remember: Ethnic Jewelry” crafts class limited to 15, 6 pm Thursday, register by Tuesday at 260-343-2010; 221 S. Park Ave., 260-343-2010...Read more

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About - Cities & Towns, January 27th

The night features a line-up of Belly Dancers from around the world, Surprise Celebrity Guest Belly Dance performance, vendors where you can shop for exotic décor, tribal jewelry, and couture dance fashions. Tickets $10. Where: Vistancia Mountain Vista...Read more

Off-the-beaten path in Maui
The Seattle Times, January 21st

Shop for ethnic jewelry at Little Tibet inside an old gas station, then grab a stool at the bar under the chili-pepper lights at Polli's Mexican Restaurant, and cool off with a margarita. Everyone knows about the drive to Hana on the road that twists...Read more

Dreams and wishes for 2012
Monterey County Herald, January 21st

Kim, the mother of four kids and a national of a foreign country runs an ethnic jewelry store in downtown Monterey that is on the verge of closing very soon. I was a frequent visitor of the place. It was really sad to see her going out of business...Read more