Southwestern Jewelry Trading Post

Turquoise silver jewelry has always been a sign of status and wealth to the Native American Indian Tribes of the southwest. The Southwestern Navajo Indians, Pueblo  Indians and Zuni Indians all used these beautiful works of indian art and jewelry as a form of currency. The begining of the trading post can be traced back to this time.

Many Southwestern Navajo indians would pawn their family heirlooms including their turquoise jewelry, silver concha belts, turquoise silver jewelry necklaces, as well as their other Native silver jewelry and crafts. The Southwest Navajo Indians, Zuni Indians and Pueblo Indians would pawn their jewelry at the trading post to be able to purchase other goods at the trading post, as they needed. Thus began the trading post as part of the Southwestern Indian way of life. There was very little real currency available. Each tribal member was paid in goods or services by the trading post for their Native silver handcrafted jewelry and family heirlooms. Once a Navajo Indian was able to earn enough money he would redeem his handcrafted jewelry and heirlooms from the trading post. Southwestern silver jewelry.

Handcrafted Native American silver jewelry has always been an important part of Southwestern Navajo Indian history and ceremony. To the Southwestern Native American Indians, turquoise jewelry and the use of silver was the finest type of adornment to the Indians. These Native American jewelry crafts and southwestern jewelry were valued not only for their beauty, but also for their spiritual symbolism in southwestern native american indian culture and history.