Silver - and how it got here

Silver

AND HOW IT GOT HERE

By Emmaly Wiederholt

If turquoise is the state gem, then silver should be the state metal.

The two go together like bread and butter. But the token look of jewelry from New Mexico has a history that can be traced back several thousand years.

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ilver was first mined beginning in 3,000 BC in what is now Turkey. Around 1,200 BC, silver was discovered near the town of Laurium, Greece, which quickly lent wealth to nearby Athens. In 100 AD, the capital of silver production shifted to Spain, which became the major supplier to the Roman Empire and an essential trading component along the Asian spice routes.

Although silver mining spread into central Europe throughout the Middle Ages, the most important development in the history of silver production came with the Spanish invasion of the New World; between 1500 and 1800, Bolivia, Peru and Mexico accounted for over 85 percent of the world’s silver production and trade.

The first major discovery of silver in the United States came in 1859 with the Comstock Lode. Under Mount Davidson in the Virginia range of western Nevada, the Comstock Lode is notable not only for the bounty of silver it brought to the Southwest, but also for its important mining developments in technology devised during the late 1800s.

In fact, the period from 1876 to 1920 was marked by an explosion in both technological innovation and exploitation of new regions worldwide. New discoveries in Australia, Central America and Europe resulted in a 50 percent increase in global production.

The Spanish influence introduced a decidedly new look to the traditional Navajo and Pueblo jewelry traditions; they combined the sky stone with the silver smith methods brought to the region by the European conquerors. Early Navajo silversmiths melted down silver coins, candlesticks and cutlery to make concha belts, bracelets, bow guards, tobacco flasks and necklaces, from which rings, earrings, pins, hair ornaments, buckles and bolos evolved in the late 1880s.

The first known Navajo silversmith was Atsidi Sani. Although predominantly an ironsmith, Atsidi Sani passed on his knowledge to his four sons, as well as his young brother, Slender Maker of Silver, who would become known as one of the best silversmiths of his time.

Zuni silver work first appeared in the early 1870s. Already skilled metalworkers and lapidaries, the Zuni built upon the Navajo silversmith methods to create the fine inlay we now associate with their jewelry.

Lanyade, considered the first Zuni silversmith, traveled between the various pueblos selling his jewelry and consequently spreading the regional affinity for silver. Because of the way silversmith skills were shared, most native southwestern jewelry heralds from the Navajo tradition.

Today, tribal, Spanish and contemporary designs are freely combined. From reservations to museums and art galleries, the distinctive silver jewelry adorned with gemstones from the area, most notably turquoise, has created a look that New Mexicans – from Spanish and Native to Mexican and gringo – have come to cherish.