Did you know that wearing a turquoise bead necklace can bring you luck? Native Americans from the Navajo tribe, as well as many other peoples, believe that turquoise has properties that represent good luck. Someone wearing a turquoise bead necklace can also experience health and happiness.
The Traditional Turquoise Bead Necklace
The Native American tradition has a long and storied history in crafting the beautiful turquoise bead necklace. Turquoise is an opaque mineral that is colored with a bright, unique, blue-green hue. In fact, the color that we know as turquoise gets its name from this precious stone.
Historians believe that Native Americans have revered and worked with turquoise stones since prehistoric times. Archeologists have found evidence of turquoise mines that are thousands of years old. Since these prehistoric times, indigenous peoples have been crafting turquoise into the turquoise bead necklace and other items.
The turquoise bead necklace played an important role in trade for the Native American peoples. After European contact, the turquoise bead necklace became highly sought after among the rich for its beauty, craftsmanship, and novelty. This especially became the case in the 1800s, when Navajo and other Native Americans began to incorporate silver into their crafting of jewelry, including necklaces.
Master silversmiths would combine beads of silver with beads of turquoise to create a distinctive and valuable turquoise bead necklace. Trading these turquoise bead necklace supported the tribal economies and allowed Native Americans to remain some autonomy and support their tribes even in the hardest times.
Your Turquoise Bead Necklace
Although turquoise is predominately a blue-green color, it is a mineral. As such, your turquoise bead necklace will likely contain beads that are mostly the color turquoise but containing veins or spots of other colors. These spots and veins can be blue, black, white, yellow, or green. If you see these spots in the beads in your turquoise bead necklace, do not be alarmed that your turquoise bead necklace is less pure. These colors are a naturally occurring phenomenon in the turquoise mineral and can greatly add to the character and beauty of your necklace.
Your turquoise bead necklace may also contain silver. If so, take extra care of your turquoise bead necklace by storing it in a drawer or jewelry chest that will protect it from sunlight and moisture. Silver can oxidize easily, leading to beads in your turquoise bead necklace that appear dingy or dull. However, these beads can easily be polished, making your necklace look beautiful and new again.