1Earth Antiques & Appraisals Magazine > Jewelry > Expert Tip: Buying Antique Native American Art

By article type: Advance Notice Our Opinion Expert Tips Feature Articles Fraud Alerts By article topic: Asian Art Books Coins/Stamps Collectibles Decorative Arts Fine Art Furniture Jewelry Market Notes Sports Memorabilia Timepieces Tribal Art 1Earth Shops: Asian Art Area 51 Art Gallery Badges Coins/Stamps Coke Collector Comic Books Eureka Militaria Eureka Medals Eureka Leather The Toy Box Trader Cards Vinyl Records Native American Blanket Native American Jewelry Introduction to Pre Columbian Art Selection of Native American Art GETTING STARTED AS A COLLECTOR WORKS OF PURPOSE & POWER Some people consider ethnographic art to be primitive. With a few authentic exceptions, I feel this is a misnomer that borders on a slur. MARKET OVERVIEW: NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE TRIBES MARKET OVERVIEW: OTHER REGIONS Important Ethnographic Art on the Block at Butterfields Object ID Checklist FBI & Interpol Fight Art Theft FBI foils the sale of Geronimo's feathered headdress SHOPPING For Native Amercian Beads, Try BeadRoom.com Connect with 1,700 unique world artisans and select from over 8,500 handcrafted works of art!

ANTIQUE NATIVE AMERICAN ART Native American & Other Ethnographic Art: A Brief Overview If your concept of "old art" conjures images of Italian Renaissance paintings, think again: Many indigenous cultures have a rich heritage of artwork that dates back thousands of years — and Native Americans are a prime example. Until recently, however, few Native Americans created art for art's sake. Many lived with limited resources, so things were created for a purpose.  Masks or pipes might be crafted for ceremonial use or to enhance a connection to the spiritual world. Other works, including beaded pouches or painted pottery, may have had more prosaic and practical purposes, such as transporting or storing goods.  And by the late 1800s, items of all types were being created specifically for trade with European settlers, who had spread to every corner of the continent. Today, a few of these articles survive. You can still acquire interesting pieces, some truly ancient, for just a few hundred dollars. Other pieces — of the right craftsmanship, artistic expression, and rarity — are highly collectible, especially if created by members of a tribe for their own uses rather than strictly for trade. WORKS OF PURPOSE & POWER

Ritual-Feathered Shields David Manje Buy This Art Print At AllPosters.com North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment by Lois Sherr Dubin Native American Beadwork: Traditional Beading Techniques for the Modern-Day Beadworker by Georg Barth, Bill Holm Ethnographic Art Expert Collecting Guide Southwestern Indian Jewelry by Dexter Cirillo Crow Indian Beadwork: A Descriptive and Historical Study by William Wildschut The Turquoise Trail: Native American Jewelry and Culture of the Southwest by Carol Karasik, Jeffrey Jay Foxx Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hope Silversmithing by Margaret Nickelson Wright The Complete Guide to Traditional Native American Beadwork: A Definitive Study of Authentic Tools, Materials, Techniques, and Styles by Joel Monture, Larry McNeil Zuni: A Village of Silversmiths by James Ostler The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry by Theda Bassman, Gene Balzer The Art of Native American Turquoise Jewelry by Ann Stalcup Navajo Jewelry: A Legacy of Silver and Stone by Lois Essary Jacka, Jerry Jacka