Jewelry is one of the best lifetime purchases you can make, especially if it's traditionally made and authentic handcrafted jewelry like Navajo jewelry. This type of beautiful jewelry has been around for hundreds of years and has been perfected by the Native American Indians.
Since authentic Navajo jewelry is gorgeous and has a rich history, you must buy from a genuine Indian jeweler and properly take care of your pieces.
If you're thinking of purchasing Navajo silver rings, bracelets, and other jewelry, it pays to know how to buy these pieces and care for them. In this article, we've covered the different tips that you should remember when purchasing and caring for your Navajo jewelry. Let's begin!
How to buy Navajo jewelry
Before buying Navajo silver rings, necklaces, and other jewelry, there are some factors that you have to take note of to ensure that you're purchasing authentic pieces.
Materials used in Indian jewelry
Native American Indian jewelry is required to use silver and even copper metal to create their fine pieces. When using silver, the silver jewelry has to be Sterling-grade silver, meaning it's 92.5 percent pure silver. When you buy metals that aren't pure, they can easily bend and lose their shape after several uses.
Choice of gemstones
What makes silver an excellent choice for this type of jewelry is that it enhances the beauty of turquoise gemstones. Since most Indian jewelry uses turquoise as their accent piece, authentic jewelers make sure that they use real and treated gemstones to enhance its appearance and longevity.
Although untreated turquoise gemstones have good quality and are incredibly expensive, the jeweler must be transparent with you and let you know if the gemstones they use are treated.
Authenticity documents
Since you're not only buying the physical object, you're also taking along with it the jewelers’ culture and the history of these pieces. To know if you're purchasing genuinely made jewelry by American Indian artists, make sure that you look for appropriate documents to prove this.
Most registered artists are recognized by the government, such as the Indian Arts and Crafts Association. Besides knowing if you're buying from authentic makers, having access to authenticity documents is vital if you plan to resell your jewelry in the future. This is because you can get a better price by presenting the necessary certificates.
How to take care of your Navajo jewelry
The same amount of thought and effort is put into buying and caring for your Navajo jewelry. Below are some tips you can follow to ensure that your jewelry stays beautiful and elegant for years.
1. Store pieces separately
When storing your Navajo silver rings, bracelets, necklaces, and other jewelry, you should keep them in separate pouches and store them in a box. This way, you'll avoid any scratches and prevent the stones from breaking.
2. Store at a cool temperature
You must keep your Navajo jewelry away from extreme temperatures because this may affect your pieces’ color and longevity.
3. Clean with delicate cotton
When cleaning your jewelry, make sure you're using a very delicate cotton cloth and rub away. Ideally, you should stay away from liquids as it may ruin the finish of your jewelry.
Conclusion
With our ultimate guide, you'll be able to purchase authentic Navajo silver rings, bracelets, necklaces, and more. And besides that, you now know the proper steps in giving some tender love and care for these pieces. Now that you're ready to buy pieces for yourself, take what you learned in this guide with you and start a collection of elegant and timeless Navajo jewelry.
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