Ethnic Jewelry

About Ethnic Jewelry

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 taken from the days when Native Americans would hock personal pieces of jewelry to make ends meet. Lots of Native American silver and turquoise pieces are routinely sold as old pawn, but only examples from the 1800s deserve that label. Silver was the base metal for most of these pieces, and one of the first styles seized upon by Navajo artists was the squash-blossom necklace...

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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Interviews & Articles

An Interview on Turn of the Century Jewelry Styles with Appraiser Joyce Jonas New!

I bought my first piece of jewelry—a gold ring with a big lapis stone propped on prongs—when I was about 12 with mo… [more]

An Interview With Fine Jewelry and Costume Jewelry Collector Christie Romero

I started out with general antiques and collectibles... I was a dealer for a while and bought and sold all kinds of… [more]

An Interview With Modernist Studio Jewelry Collector Marbeth Schon

My background is in fine art. My B.A. was in Art Education, so I started out as an art teacher. Later, I began work… [more]

An Interview with Arts and Crafts Jewelry Collector and Author Elyse Karlin

I started collecting jewelry when I was about 13 years old. I was very close to an interior designer who took me to… [more]

An Interview With Arts and Crafts Silver and Jewelry Collector Paul Somerson

How did I get started collecting Arts and Crafts silver? My wife and I had been collecting Arts and Crafts items as… [more]

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Mexican Silver Necklace And Earings$1,524 Ends Monday 13 bids 33 watchers
Vintage Signed William Spratling Sterling Necklace 1940$676.69 Ends in 11 hours 6 bids 46 watchers
Vintage Silver Bracelet By William Spratling$500.00 Ends in 10 hours 1 bid 32 watchers
Great Lot Of 36 Vintage Native American Rings Turquoise$425.00 Ends in 14 hours 9 bids 37 watchers
Lot Of 12 Vintage Sterling Turquoise Cuff Bracelet Old $405.00 Ends in 14 hours 2 bids 24 watchers
Margot De Taxco Vintage Sterling Overlay Necklace$393.00 Ends in 7 hours 9 bids 29 watchers
Sterling Mexican & Turquoise More Jewelry Lot 610 Gram$304.99 Ends in 12 hours 8 bids 17 watchers
Bjorn Weckstrom Acrylic Sterling Ring Lapponia Finland$304.00 Ends in 15 hours 14 bids 49 watchers
Gorgeous Vintage Navajo Bracelet - #8 Turquoise$301.00 Ends in 14 hours 27 bids 38 watchers
Mexican Sterling Bird Of Paradise Jade Bone Huge Brooch$300.00 Ends in 14 hours 1 bid 8 watchers
Old Vintage Chinese Silver Filigree & Amber Bracelet$293.88 Ends Tuesday 10 bids 42 watchers
Old Zuni 5 Row Slant Natural Turquoise Bracelet$275.00 Ends in 13 hours 9 bids 29 watchers
Vintage Rare Taxco Mexican Silver Los Castillo Necklace$260.00 Ends in 14 hours 16 bids 49 watchers
Early William Spratling Heavy 980 Silver Bracelet Cuff$250.00 Ends in 13 hours 1 bid 44 watchers
Vintage Modern Halikko Necklace Kalevala Koru Finland$247.50 Ends in 14 hours 11 bids 2 watchers
Rare Margot De Taxco Sterling Silver & Enamel Necklace$247.50 Ends in 13 hours 4 bids 24 watchers
Old Mexican Sterling & Turquoise Necklace & Bracelet$242.50 Ends Monday 3 bids 21 watchers
Vintage Navajo Indian Bisbee Turquoise Silver Bracelet$225.00 Ends in 14 hours 17 bids 28 watchers
Vintage Turquoise Squash Blossom Necklace$203.00 Ends Monday 17 bids 38 watchers
Vintage Mexico Mexican Silver Floral Etruscan Bracelet$202.50 Ends Monday 25 bids 54 watchers
Antique Chinese Carved Pierced Jade Coral Necklace Gilt$201.50 Ends in 13 hours 2 bids 30 watchers
Vntg Mexico Mexican Silver Etruscan Sautoir Necklace$200.00 Ends Sunday 7 bids 20 watchers
Northwest Coast Native Indian Silver Bracelet Brotchie$199.41 Ends Saturday 2 bids 13 watchers
Lot Of 30 Sterling Turquoise Native American Necklace $199.00 Ends in 15 hours 3 bids 26 watchers
Early Silver 3 Turquoise Navajo Cuff Bracelet Wide Old$199.00 Ends in 14 hours 2 bids 6 watchers
David Andersen Norway Sterling Enamel Abstract Demi Set$185.00 Ends Thursday 1 bid 7 watchers
Vintage Navajo Indian Turquoise Coin Silver Bracelet$177.50 Ends Monday 12 bids 58 watchers
3day Great Lot Vintage Sterling Jewelry 496g Not Scrap$169.16 Ends in 11 hours 11 bids 20 watchers
Old 970 Silver Taxco Heavy 250g Signed Cascade Necklace$163.50 Ends in 13 hours 6 bids 21 watchers
Extra Large Navajo Dragonfly Pin - Uita 22$158.05 Ends in 14 hours 15 bids 73 watchers
Fabulous Zuni Dan Simplicio Cufflinks$151.00 Ends in 13 hours 9 bids 27 watchers
Sigi Pineda Taxco Mexico Mexican Silver Deco Necklace$151.00 Ends in 14 hours 12 bids 38 watchers
Dramatic Wide Taxco Mexican Silver Red Jasper Bracelet$150.49 Ends Tuesday 8 bids 25 watchers
Pink Tasmanian Aboriginal Maireener Sea Shell Necklace$145.00 Ends Tuesday 1 bid 14 watchers
Modernist Sweden Sterling Necklace-#'d Sgnd Theressa!!$139.16 Ends in 14 hours 6 bids 18 watchers
Monteros 970 Silver Sterling Taxco Mexico Bracelet Nice$138.50 Ends Monday 6 bids 32 watchers
Elegant Pueblo 10 Strand Coral/olive Shell Necklace Nr $133.52 Ends Wednesday 11 bids 53 watchers
Vintage Navajo Cluster Turquoise & Sterling Concho Belt$132.50 Ends Wednesday 16 bids 37 watchers
Rare Lapponia Bjorn Finland Modernist Pin Pendant Nr$127.50 Ends Monday 13 bids 28 watchers
Auction$127.00 Ends Monday 10 bids 17 watchers
Vintage Huge Old Taxco Mexican Silver "aar" Bracelet$125.38 Ends Monday 18 bids 71 watchers
Turquoise Silver Squash Blossom Necklace$124.78 Ends Monday 16 bids 20 watchers
Native American Squash Blossom Necklace$123.49 Ends Saturday 25 bids 6 watchers
Vntg Native American Turquoise Squash Blossom Necklace$123.49 Ends in 14 hours 16 bids 29 watchers
18k Topaz Diamond Antique Estate Stud Earrings$121.50 Ends Wednesday 14 bids 26 watchers
Jtostrup Sterling Enamel Norway Modernist Era Brooch$115.00 Ends Thursday 1 bid 7 watchers
Vint 950 Silver Taxco Mexico Multi Stone Set Necklace$113.49 Ends in 13 hours 11 bids 26 watchers
9 Pr. Vintage Sterling Silver Native American Earrings$112.50 Ends in 14 hours 10 bids 16 watchers
14k Cabochon Emerald Diamond Antique Cluster Ring $108.50 Ends Wednesday 12 bids 20 watchers
Georg Jensen Early Bracelet Around 1930 Silver$107.50 Ends Wednesday 16 bids 77 watchers
Vintage Oval Link Heavy Sterling Toggle Bracelet Mexico$107.50 Ends in 7 hours 5 bids 13 watchers
Vint Sterling Taxco Mex Erika Hult De Corral Bracelet$103.49 Ends Monday 16 bids 19 watchers
Lot Of 5 Vintage Silver Turquoise Cuff Bracelets Old Nr$101.99 Ends in 14 hours 2 bids 27 watchers
Huge Old 112g Taxco Sterling Los Ballesteros Bracelet $100.99 Ends Tuesday 5 bids 34 watchers
J. Tostrup Norway Vintage Mutli-colored Silver Brooch $100.00 Ends in 11 hours 1 bid 6 watchers
Huge Antique 19thc Chinese Sterling Silver Bracelet$99.99 Ends in 14 hours 1 bid 15 watchers
Vintage Mexican Silver Necklace, Bracelet, And Earrings$99.00 Ends in 10 hours 12 bids 30 watchers
Sterling Los Castillo Taxco Piggy Bank Brooch Pig Pin $99.00 Ends in 7 hours 6 bids 26 watchers
Vintage Navajo Turquoise Silver Ring Size 12.5 Nr$97.08 Ends in 14 hours 18 bids 52 watchers
Early Zuni Stone On Stone Inlay Knifewing Pin$90.00 Ends Sunday 5 bids 16 watchers

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