History of Navajo Concha (Concho) Belts

The concha belt is among the most striking products of the Navajo silversmith’s art. Conchas (shells) as they were known in New Mexico, were large, oval or circular, silver brooch-like ornaments.

Old pawn turquoise concha belt circa 1940-50′s

Old pawn concha belt circa 1940′s

Some of the Mexican bridles had silver conchas on the head stalls. Old Mexican bridle conchas used floral and geometric patterns. Hence the decorative elements that influenced the Navajo silversmiths.

Good conchas represent much patient work with small, usually repeated, designs, struck one element at the time with a home-made die and a hand hammer.  Originally these belts did not have a buckle, but were fastened with leather thongs.  Most old belts today are equipped with buckles.  Among the earliest buckles made by Navajo smiths are simple copies of harness buckles.

In the early years (1870′s-80′s), Navajo silver work was an art practiced by very few smiths.  Their work was highly valued and sought after by fellow Navajos as well as Hopis and Zunis.  Objects of silver began to have a great effect upon the lives of those desert peoples.  Silver jewelry became a symbol of a man’s wealth and standing in the community.  A “smith” was a respected man and enjoyed prestige given to few others.

Click here to download a free eBook on Navajo Silversmiths.

The Circle Of Life

Black elk (1863-1950) Oglala Sioux holy man…

“You have noticed that everything an Indian does is in a circle, and that is because the Power of the World always works in circles, and everything tries to be round…The sky is round and I have heard that the earth is round like a ball, and so are all the stars.  The wind, in its greatest power, whirls.  Birds make their nests in circles, for theirs is the same religion as ours…Even the seasons form a great circle in their changing, and always come back again to where they were.  The life of a man is a circle from childhood to childhood, and so it is in everything where power moves.”

Native American Theme Paintings by Georgia Artist Pat Calderone

If you haven’t seen Pat Calderone’s magnificent paintings that reflect the spirit of the Cherokee lands where she lives, then please view all of them.  She writes a story behind each piece.  Here are a few of her images … you can read their stories online.

What Are Wild Horse and Crazy Horse Stones?

There are some really interesting stones that are used in jewelry called “wild horse” and “crazy horse“.

The one commonly called Wild Horse is usually found in Native American made jewelry.

According to Stones N Silver:  “Wild Horse is the name given to this stone, whose geological name is magnesite which is a mixture magnesite/hematite. A fairly new stone that was discovered in the mid-90′s near the Globe copper mine in the Gila wilderness area of southern Arizona. Some have called it Wild Horse Turquoise but it is NOT turquoise! Since so far, there only seems to be one source for Wild Horse and also because of it’s beauty . . . it has retains a high value and is a remarkably popular.”

Mike Block, author of TURQUOISE Mines, Mineral & Wearable Art would disagree.

He has a photograph on page 61 a silver cuff bracelet and on page 62 there are various Navajo made pendants with  stones that he calls Wild Horse turquoise. He says that they came from the Fox turquoise mine which is also “called White Horse Fox for the region in Lander County where this high-grade blue gem is found.”

His book, TURQUOISE Mines, Minerals & Wearable art
is an excellent resource to help in identifying different types of turquoise and what mines they came from.  It also has a price guide for the jewelry it features in beautiful full color photographs.

Fox Wild Horse Turquoise

Crazy Horse is actually a type of limestone. Every piece is incredibly unique with “crazy” designs and patterns in colors of light grays, mauves and wines; sometimes a golden tan and black.

Crazy Horse stone with red jasper and fresh water pearls on Etsy

Now you know the difference between wild horse and crazy horse and what type of stones they are.

Every Thing Is Relative

“Hear me, four quarters of the world – a relative I am!  Give me the strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is!  Give me the eyes to see and the strength to understand, that I may be like you.  With your power only can I face the winds.”

…Black Elk/Oglala Sioux (1863-1950)

This Week’s Quote

“I have seen that in any great undertaking it is not enough for a man to depend simply upon himself.”

Lone Man, late 19th century Teton Sioux

Lone Man

All Things Are Two…..The Battle Within

Native Americans and mountain people share a similar  story that is told by the elders to the young ones.  I first head it told by on old preacher man from the mountains of West Virginia, but I know of many Native American tribes that also tell it.

It goes like this:  There is a battle that goes on within us symbolized by two dogs, or wolves.  One is black and one is white.  The black one represents one who is evil, demonstrated by anger, jealousy, greed, arrogance, resentment, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.

The other is what is good and has joy, peace, love hope, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The moral of the story is that winner of this fight that goes on within us is the one that we feed the most.

A Pawnee by the name of Eagle Chief from the late 19th century very eloquently put it this way:

“All things in the world are two.  In our minds we are two – good and evil.  With our eyes we see two things – things that are fair and things that are ugly… We have the right hand that strikes and makes for evil, and the left hand full of kindness, near the heart.  One foot may lead us to an evil way, the other foot may lead us to a good.  So are all things two, all two.”

Discover Gaspeite-A Rare Green Beauty

Gaspeite is a rare semi-precious gemstone that has the most strikingly beautiful chartreuse to apple green color.  If you have never seen it, then you haven’t been shopping in places that sell Native American made jewelry.  Navajo silversmiths began using in their jewelry only a few years ago.

Unique Inlaid Native American made gaspeite earrings

Gaspeite is found in only two places in the world.  In 1966 it was discovered in the Gaspe Peninsula, Quebec, Canada, hence the name gaspeite.  Later it was also found in Western Australia.  It appears where there are nickel sulfite deposits. Unfortunately both mines are almost completely played out.

In the article Uncovering the Semi-Precious Gem Gaspeite, the writer  states that “some call it the friendship stone because it draws others to those who wear it.”  This does not surprise me as I have witnessed so many of our customers drawn to it as soon as they walk into the store.

Native American gaspeite earrings

The green color of this stone is comparable to green turquoises found in Nevada such as those found in the Carico Lake and Damele mines, however it is a nickel carbonate, not a turquoise.  There are imposter stones that are dyed gaspeite green.  Genuine gaspeite often has some brownish matrices in it which give it a distinctive character.

Beautiful Navajo gaspeite bracelet

Gaspeite is a little softer than turquoise, and should be treated with some care to prevent it from being scratched, cracked, or broken.

Due to the fact that it is a scarce commodity, this gem has grown in popularity among stone and jewelry collectors alike.  This also attributes to it being a little on the expensive side, thus jewelry containing gaspeite becomes a good investment.

Quebec Gaspeite

Australian Gaspeite

Photos courtesy www.freespiritlapiday.com

Turquoise – Always in Style

The self-proclaimed world-renowned authority on color , Pantone has announced that turquoise is the color of the year for 2010!

Turquoise stones

Pantone is in the business of inspiring design professionals with products, services and technology for colorful exploration and expression of creativity.  They eloquently describe turquoise as :

“Combining the serene qualities of blue and the invigorating aspects of green, Turquoise inspires thoughts of soothing, tropical waters and a comforting escape from the everyday troubles of the world, while at the same time restoring our sense of wellbeing.”

All of us Baby-boomer remember well the turquoise fad back in the 1960′s. Then about 5 years ago all the Hollywood stars were wearing it and it got “hot” again.  But for Native Peoples of the southwest and for us who just plain love turquoise, it has never gone out of style!

From the time early Spanish explorers came into the southwest, turquoise was known to be a favorite of the inhabitants living there.  Entering into what is now Arizona, they reported being met by people wearing feather headdresses and strings of beads, bracelets and earrings. In 1539 Fray Marcos de Niza wrote of it being worn as ornaments by the people. Some had as many as three or four strands of green stones around their neck, others carried them as ear-pendants and in their nose.”

Chaco Canyon Turquoise

Excavations of pre-historic sites have uncovered such jewelry in both quality and quantity. It is evident that jewelry had great religious significance by the discoveries of turquoise at Chaco Canyon, New Mexico, one of the great prehistoric ceremonial centers of the southwest. There, in the great Kiva of Casa Rinconada, turquoise necklaces were deposited in niches around the walls.

Exquisite Zuni Inlaid Squash Blossom "Hip-Hugger" Necklace

The southwestern Indians today are perhaps best known for the beauty and variety of their turquoise jewelry. Not only is this jewelry prized by the collector, but also by the Indian who wears it. Both the Navajo and Pueblo Indian consider jewelry as wealth and any ceremonial occasion is used to display it.

Modern Pueblo Indians consider turquoise to be sacred and scatter chips or the powdered stone during special prayers and about their shrines. Its blue color is one of their sacred colors and one of the most sticking features of the regalia (costumes) at a dance is their turquoise jewelry.

One look in the mirror will show you the sensuous appeal of quality Southwest jewelry. Today, any woman that has worn a fine turquoise necklace, whether a squash blossom necklace or multi-strand beads or nuggets, will remember the compliments and attention which she received.

For great old pawn collectible turquoise and the finest in contemporary turquoise jewelry visit the Native American Market.

Old Pawn Turquoise Conch Belt

What Is The Real White Buffalo Turquoise?

Don’t Be Fooled By The Impostors!

Many stones are called “white buffalo turquoise” and there is a lot of confusion as to what truly is a white turquoise.

There is a widely quoted source that comes from the Miami Valley Mineral and Gem Club in their newsletter of January, 2002 Vol 48 #1. It relates that back in 1993, stones were found in a turquoise mine that did not resemble the deep color of turquoise that has been used in Native People’s jewelry for centuries.

It was so pale that it looked like porcelain.  At the time the name of the mine where it was found on the Shoshone Reservation near Battle Mountain, Nevada was called Dry Creek.  Since that time the name has changed but for the purposes of this article we will continue to refer to it as Dry Creek turquoise.

The way turquoise gets its color is from heavy metals that are present in the ground where it forms.  Blue turquoise occurs when there is copper present, which is the case of the majority of Arizona turquoises.  In Nevada, there is more iron present, thus Nevada turquoises are usually more green.

The lack of any specific color consistency makes the Dry Creek stones distinctive and unique from other turquoises.  It is the most pale of all the turquoises in the world.

Because this stone is so rare and so pale in color, the Shoshone Indians named it “Sacred Buffalo” turquoise after the legend of the white buffalo.

The Shoshone Indians are not known for their jewelry work so they sell or trade the Sacred Buffalo turquoise to the Navajos in Arizona and New Mexico, who then work into beautiful jewelry.

Authentic Dry Creek or Sacred Buffalo turquoise is also called white buffalo turquoise. It should never be confused with other stones that are called “white buffalo” which are actually howlite, magnesite. and other white stones that usually have gray and black matrices in them. (Matrix is the dark minerals that show up within the stone.)

While howlite, native to California, and other white stones are very beautiful and are used often in Native American made jewelry, they are definitely not turquoise.  We call them the “white buffalo stone”, but never call them “turquoise”.  Another name for these white stones is “appaloosa” for the black spots that sometimes appear in the stone.

Howlite can also trick you when it is dyed a turquoise color.  In honest circumstances, this dyed stone can be an inexpensive substitute for turquoise carvings, beads, and stones set in jewelry.

The Dry Creek mine has been closed, so there are few stones to work into jewelry.  One of the Native American jewelry designers we use says that Dry Creek turquoise is “beyond rare”.