Native american jewelry with pearls

[YHammouda-Eyre]

Hello pearl-guide forum members, I recently had the opportunity of viewing an artisan pearl necklace, complete with bali beads, pot silver and featuring a multi-strand of pearls in the front. (please see photo)

I think the pearls are probably freshwater?

The necklace is signed (initial only) by the artist. Im not familiar with native American jewelry and I would like to know if anyone might be able to shed some light on native American jewelry (using pearls) and if this type of pearl jewelry was popular among some of the North American Indian tribes in the history of pearls in North America? And also was there a preference for certain types of the pearls used in North American tribal jewelry?

Thank you Pearl-Guiders
Yvonne
www.antique-jewelry-investor.com

 

[jerin]

Hello Yvonne,

Caitlin might know...

 

[pattye]

That is an interesting necklace, for sure. In it's way, it looks very modern. Not sure the Indians used "bali" beads. Pearls were for a time harvested from some American Rivers, small flattened shapes, like those, but a more close up photo would be nice. Is the red material coral?

Possibly something made for the tourist trade? Do you know any history of this piece?

Yes, Caitlin will surely have some helpful comments about this.

 

[Caitlin]

Hello pearl-guide forum members, I recently had the opportunity of viewing an artisan pearl necklace, complete with bali beads, pot silver and featuring a multi-strand of pearls in the front. (please see photo)

I think the pearls are probably freshwater?

The necklace is signed (initial only) by the artist. Im not familiar with native American jewelry and I would like to know if anyone might be able to shed some light on native American jewelry (using pearls) and if this type of pearl jewelry was popular among some of the North American Indian tribes in the history of pearls in North America? And also was there a preference for certain types of the pearls used in North American tribal jewelry?

Thank you Pearl-Guiders
Yvonne
www.antique-jewelry-investor.com

The First Tribes of the Mississippi river basin were known as "Mound builders" tribes. They had absolutely millions of pearls in their mounds. Most were destroyed by the high moisture and contact with the earth. I haven't looked at their jewelry much, but I know they made jewelry often with pearls.

This piece is by a modern beader who may or may not be od NA heritage. It does a avery tribal look, but it not in the style of any tribe I am familiar with. Maybe a search on "Mound-builders, pearls".

In any case, I like it. I really looks like something I would make. It would take a much closer picture to determine the origin of the FW pearls. I restrung this one with pearls. There is a photo of it in my albums. However, I am going to redo it with cedar beads and only leave some pearls in it.

 

[Caitlin]

I saw a photo of a mound builder tribe known now as the Hopewell culture. The guy is not wearing pearls, but he does look like a yaqui deer dancer, which reminded me of the Yaqui (Yoeme) people who were covered with pearls when they met the Europeans. BTW they are the only NA tribe to escape "taming" by the Spaniards. Douglas' Sea of Cortez webpages have some amazing, very excellent pages on Yaqui history with some great photos. The Yoeme have always called Sonora their home land, and a big chuck of it was taken over by the Gadsden Purchase, so Yaquis live on both sides of the border now. Maybe the only First Nation divided thusly.

I don't know how to get to those pages any more.

But perlas.com has a great story about one of their pearls which now adorns La
Virgen de Soledad.

 

[YHammouda-Eyre]

Native American Pearl Jewelry

Native American Pearl Jewelry

Pattaya, the owner thinks the red beads are coral and not plastic. You can't really tell from the photograph if its genuine red coral or a plastic bead. Even if we had a close-up photo there are so many convincing coral impostors around these days, it's nearly impossible to identify genuine coral from fake coral by photograph. Almost as difficult as trying to identify natural pearls.

Caitlin, the tribal look of the necklace is appealing, as you say, I like the multi-strand of FW pearls at center front, a nice contrast. The necklace that you restrung, really interesting and I really like it, it exudes NA style.
Thanks for uploading the photo of your necklace - just by comparison you can immediately see that my necklace is tribal (modern) but not NA tribal and certainly not antique native American.

I visited the web pages you mentioned and have been in pearl wonderland ever since - Cortez Pearls - what amazing pearls!
What I found especially appealing about cortez pearls was that they're not artificially enhanced in any way to improve, color, luster or complexion.

http://cortezpearl.com


best regards
Yvonne Hammouda-Eyre
http://www.antique-jewelry-investor.com

 

[CortezPearls]

The local cultures -Yaqui and Seri- mainly made mother-of-pearl designs because they loved big, shiny and colorful artifacts...but they had very little time for leisure and adornment (living in our beautiful but harsh desert environment). From the description given on some manuscripts written by the Jesuits on their exploration of Sonora and Baja California, the locals rarely used jewelry. There are other sources that point out that only Leaders would use them... but please feel free to browse some more information at http://perlas.com.mx/en/history/hist3/yaquination.html.
Hope you find this information useful...

 

[Caitlin]

Excellent short version. It really gives the major headlines of Yaqui/Mexican history.

We have three or four Yaqui villages in Tucson. Old Pasqua is right in Tucson. New Pascua is larger and just outside of town. Marana has an old time settlement, too. I think Barrio Anita is largely Yaqui. They often refer to themselves as Yoeme. My godfather (a judge) helped Anselmo Valencia get tribal status back whenever that was. My hubby did a documentary of a deer dance with Anselmo in the 70's and Anselmo's widow, Kathy, is a dear friend. She gave me a cd of Anselmo's telling of Yaqui history. She is now running the Yaqui Museum at New Pascua and knows all about my life at the P-G Forum, and the Yaqui intersection with pearls. There probably won't be time for most to go visit her during the Gem Show on a M-W- Or F when she is at the museum, or if anyone would even be interested, but I thought it worth a mention.

 

[Lagoon Island Pearls]

... mainly made mother-of-pearl designs because they loved big, shiny and colorful artifacts...but they had very little time for leisure and adornment ...

This is typical of native cultures in Canada as well. Traditionally, northern abalone shell, dentalium, snail operculum were used. The early fur traders brought wool blankets and mother-of-pearl buttons from southern oceans, which would invariably be crafted together. Despite the lower gem quality, auction prices on these pieces are astronomical.

http://www.civilization.ca/cmc/exhibitions/tresors/treasure/232eng.shtml