Why Native American Styles Are Sweeping Silver Jewelry Sales
Southwestern style is surging in popularity among jewelry designers. What’s behind the enduring appeal of Native American iconography?
Jennifer Heebner | March 24, 2016
"A treasured collection of big silver belt buckles, turquoise cuffs, and vintage squash blossom necklaces from a youth spent in Texas inspired jeweler Jacquie Aiche to start buying arrowheads at roadside tents during the gem shows in Tucson, Ariz., 11 years ago. The Los Angeles–based designer, who is part Choctaw, says the pieces served as muses for her signature Deco Arrow studs in vermeil. Aiche continued to learn more about Native American symbols, even securing an education at the Esalen retreat in Big Sur, Calif., where she met a shaman who schooled her on the healing properties of spirit animals. All of these efforts will culminate this summer, when she debuts a Spirit Animal collection in 14k gold and, on request, silver. “I think it’s important to respect where the original art comes from,” she says.
Aiche isn’t the only designer besotted with Native American style. Nearly 150 years after Southwestern tribes started experimenting with silversmithing, their perfectly imperfect aesthetic has yet to be challenged. And in a testament to the enduring power of their motifs, scores of non–Native American designers are now paying homage to their work in a host of new jewelry collections—mostly in silver, but plenty in gold—that promise to introduce Native American designs to a generation of younger consumers.
nset: Anna Sheffield cuff in silver with turquoise and 0.2 ct. t.w. diamonds; $2,800; above: Squash blossom earrings in sterling silver and 14k yellow gold with turquoise and 0.19 ct. t.w. reclaimed gray diamonds; $2,200; Anna Sheffield, NYC; 212-925-7010; annasheffield.com
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