Old Pawn Jewellery

Historical art collectors all around the world have their particular niche, or field of expertise or preference. Some choose European paintings and others specialize in ancient works, such as Aboriginal cave markings or ancient Greek or Chinese sculptures. One other form of historical artwork that is popular among collectors is that of the native American people, in particular the wonderful jewellery which they produce(d). Although often referred to only in the past tense, the fact that their traditional ways are trying to be preserved today should not escape us.
Indian American jewelry as it is sometimes (wrongly) referred to, can range from a unique turquoise inlayed silver ring being the focal point of a priceless collection to simple items of old pawn jewellery which could easily end up in the trash or at a yard sale. Due to the way that the works were often produced, many artists not putting their names on items that went for general sale generations ago, it is easy enough for hundreds of wonderful, unique and valuable pieces of Indian American art to be left unnoticed and not cared for.
As previously mentioned, it is incorrect to refer to the original people of the Americas as Indian Americans. Just because a certain Christopher Columbus was in search of a better route to India when he stumbled across the New World should not cause us to misname the locals. Referring to the period as Indian American history is more commonly done by the layman, rather than those who are educated in all things American native American tribes and what has occurred since the colonies arrived. In fact, very few people know a great deal about Nevajo Indians or the many other tribes in North America, many of whom still practise their creative traditions in the 21st century.
Enough research about native American art will help to explain that these people were experts in many different fields, depending on the areas in which they lived. In addition, many were almost forced into producing pottery and jewellery for large Western-owned companies which then traded the goods for mediocre prices and returned very little to the craftsmen and women.
It may well be worth rummaging through one’s old pawn jewellery to see if there are any items which could conceivably be of Native American origin and possibly valuable. Or, an alternative for those with a keen eye and a little knowledge on certain items may be encouraged to attend yard sales and the like and sift through vendors’ old pawn jewellery in an attempt to find something of interest.