Upon a recent trip to New Mexico and Arizona, the number of shops that I saw that sell navajo jewelry intrigued me. I understand that to sell navajo jewelry is a popular thing here in the Southwest. However, I wanted to learn more about those who sell navajo jewelry. I wanted to learn why they sell navajo jewelry and why its popularity is so great with tourists. To sell navajo jewelry seems like a competitive market. I learned that there are four major states that have the expertise in the effort to sell navajo jewelry. This includes New Mexico, Utah, Arizona, and Colorado. I often wondered if it takes any special qualifications or licenses to sell navajo jewelry. I found that many of those who seek to sell navajo jewelry often have a deep appreciation for the Navajo artisans and their intricate ability to craft beautiful and longstanding jewelry. To sell navajo jewelry is a to have a love and admiration for not only the beautiful jewelry created, but also the history and culture that has shaped those jewelry items.
The Navajo is considered to be the largest tribe of Native Americans in America. The Navajo are also widely known for their role in World War II, as the Navajo Code Talkers, who provided a code consisting of their own language that allowed the U.S. to have critical communications immune to Axis decoding methods. Navajo jewelry is largely associated with the tribe and is considered to be a trademark of the tribe. Jewelry making for the Navajo took a significant turn when craft of the silver smith was introduced in the late 1800’s. This is due to the fact that the trade was learned from the Spanish/Mexican tradition of the craft. The introduction of silver work allowed the Navajo to expand their already deep tradition of creating jewelry. They applied silver work to items such as necklaces, bracelets, buckles, earrings, and even flasks. Another notable aspect of Navajo jewelry is the use of many types of stone to enhance the silver work. The most popular of these stones has to be the use of turquoise. Although, the use of turquoise within the Navajo nation had been in place for many, many years, the combination of it with silver didn’t occur until the nineteenth century. The silver and turquoise designs of the Navajo are often very intricate and designed with nature in mind. The inclination to sell navajo jewelry arose out of not only personal adornment, but also a means to earn money. This is especially true of the tourist sect that annually visits the Southwest United States. To sell navajo jewelry is a noble and beautiful way to represent the Navajo culture and a way to preserve their art.
