Stones Used in Native American Jewelry Making

Stones... Turquoise is one of the most popular decorative stones used in Native American jewelry. For Native Americans, it is a sacred stone, considered to be a piece of the sky. Today, turquoise can come from any part of the world. Traditional jewelry uses such stones as Carnelian, Coral, Lapis Lazuli, Onyx, Shell and Turquoise. Added in recent years have been raw materials such as sugilite, opal, jet, malachite, mother of pearl, charoite and gaspeite. Gold has become more popular, although its cost has limited the number of artists who can afford to work with it.

Read all about turquoise - all types and how to buy!

• Carnelian - A quartz stone that is a translucent red in color.
  
  

  

  
  
  
• Coral - Containing the life colors of the ocean floor, coral ranges from washed whites and pinks to brilliant fiery reds and oranges. This is one of the rarest materials used.

• Lapis Lazuli - Favored by modern Native American jewelry crafters for its shade of blue, this stone is primarily used in modern pieces more so than traditional works. The primary minerals of this rock are Lazurite (deep blue color), pyrite (speckled yellow), and calcite (chalky white).

• Onyx - A favorite stone for dying (usually black) this quartz stone usually begins as white gray or pale blue.
  
  

  

  
  
  
• Shell - Ocean shells, particularly the shell of pearl oysters and abalones. Shells are sometimes used as part of silver inlay work or drilled and strung into Heishi necklaces.

• Turquoise - Ranging in color from sky blue to bluish green and often with extensive matrix (the spider web patterns that suffuse the finest stones), this mineral is found in the southwestern United States. It's common now for Native American artisans to use turquoise from other countries.

• Dyeing - it is a common practice to add blue or green blue dye to a lower grade turquoise to enhance the color of the stone. As described above, Onyx is often dyed black.

• Reconstitution - crushing bits of coral, lapis lazuli or turquoise into a power and combining it with a clear epoxy. This compound is then shaped and takes on the appearance of its natural self.

• Stabilizing - A way of enhancing low-grade turquoise. The method employees the use of clear acrylics injected into turquoise to increase its hardness and color qualities. Less expensive to purchase than top grade turquoise, this form of the blue gem is commonly used by artisans.

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