Here at Jewelry of the Southwest we carry some of the most unique pendants on the market. There are pendants to suit all types of occasions. We carry a wide variety of sterling silver cross pendants, turquoise, coral, onyx, lapis, mother of pearl and many other beautiful styles and designs.Turquoise Jewelry and Native American Indian jewelry highly fashionable. A hand made Turquoise pendant is the perfect accessory. We have a beautiful array of Turquoise Pendants, Cross Pendants, Silver Pendants, Carved Turquoise Pendants, Coral Pendants, Turquoise Pins, and Turquoise Necklaces mostly from the jewelry artists of the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni Native American Indian tribes.
The majority of Southwest Coral jewelry on the market today is bamboo or sponge Southwest Coral that provide the attractive look of Southwest Coral without the heavy price. These are attractive substitutions, but there are some notable differences between them and red Southwest Coral. Sponge Southwest Coral is very porous and is known to have brown patches. It can be stabilized to have a smooth surface, but brown swirls can still be visible. Bamboo Southwest Coral is smoother than sponge Southwest Coral, but occurs white in nature. It is dyed to achieve the red color. Poor quality bamboo Southwest Coral jewelry can lack uniform color, and may appear streaky. Also visible can be black spots a natural occurrence in bamboo Southwest Coral.
Southwestern pendants have increasingly become a big part of mainstream fashion. Here at Jewelry of the Southwest we carry all types of sterling silver and gold pendants. Whether you are looking for lapis pendants, coral pendants, turquoise pendants, sterling silver pendants, multi-gem pendants or custom hand made pendants we have many options.
"Native American Pendants" is a term that brings to mind the silver and turquoise pendants of the Navajo and Pueblo Indians of the American Southwest. Craftspeople from the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and Santo Domingo tribes have gained a world-wide reputation for their unique jewelry. In addition to the pieces fashioned by these people, many fine examples of Southwest pendants are also created by members of other Indian tribes.
Southwestern Indians have worn jewelry made from pieces of shell, turquoise and other materials for centuries. The major characteristic of Navajo pendants today is the emphasis on metal work. The Navajo pendants are designed to fit the stones. Stamp work, leaves and feathers fashioned of silver are used to accent turquoise and other stones. Their pendants are characterized by the making of round beads from turquoise, coral, shell and other materials which are strung together into strands for necklaces, pendants and earrings. The most common beads are called heishi. These are disks or tubes with a hole in the center. They are strung together to form a flexible strand and are often of graduated size. It is not uncommon to find pieces of coral or turquoise nuggets strung with the heishi, or simply strands of polished turquoise nuggets.
After Navajo, Hopi and Pueblo artists learned silversmithing from the Spanish in the 1800s, metal pendant arts blossomed in the Southwest, and distinctive native pendants. Hopi silver overlay pendants, and Navajo turquoise inlay pendants developed from the fusion of the new techniques with traditional designs.
In many ancient cultures Southwest Coral jewelry was important for its many believed supernatural benefits, including as a ward against accidents and a protective amulet against magic. Southwest Coral is also a symbol for the Life Force Energy, and is believed to help bring harmony in your heart. Southwest Coral is a soft gem, making it easy to shape and work with, attributes that allowed prehistoric peoples to utilize it for personal ornamentation in various forms of Southwest jewelry.
The use of Southwest Coral in early Southwest jewelry evolved from mere adornment to charms with talismanic properties. Southwest Coral jewelry was worn often as a talisman to ward off evil spirits, witchcraft, and the devil. Southwest Coral is also attributed with providing vitality, physical strength, strengthened marital relationships, wealth, increased sensuality, and provided protection while out to sea. Ancient cultures also used Southwest Coral for medicinal purposes to treat ailments of the blood and head, and to strengthen the immune system by supporting the lymph nodes.
Southwest Coral grows and is found in salt water depths from 25 to 1000 feet. Increased demand for Southwest Coral has led to the near depletion of shallow-water occurring Southwest Coral. Though Southwest Coral found in shallow waters sees more harvesting, that which occurs in deeper water is of better color and quality. The most desired specimens of the Mediterranean Sea and Sea of Japan are among the nearly depleted supplies. It naturally occurs in many colors including white, black, blue, lavender, pink, and many shades of red. While each color has been used in Southwest jewelry, it is red Southwest Coral that has flourished aesthetically in Southwest jewelry. Because the demand outweighs the supply, jewelers have resorted to alternatives; namely dyed sea bamboo Southwest Coral and sponge Southwest Coral Bamboo and sponge Southwest Coral are more readily available and lessen not only the stress on the dwindling red Southwest Coral supply, but also the cost of materials.
