The great American Southwest is known for its unique style in all things, none more so than its jewelry. The jewelry of the Southwest is like no other, in its use of natural stones found in the region and the influence of Native American history and culture fused with the spirit of early American settlers, makes for one interesting art form. Among this craft is the creation of Southwest silver turquoise earrings, embodying all these elements to produce pieces that can’t be found in any other region of the world.
About Southwest Silver Turquoise Earrings
Taking its influence from multiple cultures, Southwest silver turquoise earrings take their form from the land. The most abundant gem in the Southwest region is turquoise stones, taken from the many famous mines throughout the region. Depending on the area, the minerals from the surrounding land will mix with the deposits underground and give turquoise unique colors and matrices. This is the stone that stands as the backbone of Southwestern jewelry.
As for the setting, in the mid-19th century, many of the Native American tribes learned the art of working silver from Spanish merchants and traders. Since then, they have developed their own style that quickly took hold with American settlers as they began to trade with Native Americans for various other goods.
Over the decades, these styles and cultures began to mix together and form something completely new. The only thing that the two cultures had in common was the land itself so that also plays a heavy role in the creation of Southwest jewelry.
Southwest silver turquoise earrings use every variation of the blue stone to bring life into these pieces. Artists from the region are particular about the elements that go into traditional Southwest pieces. Some common elements to see are Native American patterns, landscape multicolor images set into the earrings, and perfect uniform shapes, which displays a talent for cutting and shaping the stones as well.