Native American earrings: beautiful jewelry in turquoise stone and sterling silver

HARPO is a French jewelry store that has been showcasing for over fifty years the finest jewelry from the American Southwest. You'll find quality jewelry in sterling silver and genuine turquoise stone. All the jewelry we carry in our boutique and on our e-shop is handcrafted by renowned artists from different tribes: Navajo (Diné), Zuni, Pueblo, Hopi.

Let's take a closer look at our sterling silver and turquoise stone earrings:

Different earrings illustrate different jewelry-making talents and skills.

Let's take a look at a few emblematic models of Native American jewelry, which you'll find at HARPO.

Our earrings

Feather earrings

Made in New Mexico, these earrings are representative of the work of Kewa jewelers: for over a hundred years, these Native American artists have been known to create jewelry from turquoise stones, shells and other natural materials, which they cut by hand, then mount and polish for a soft, refined finish.

Pueblo feather earrings are timeless pieces, which have been presenting at HARPO for decades. Since they are made exclusively from natural materials, each new arrival and each model has its own little variations and subtleties of color. What's certain is that these feather earrings will dress up your face with beautiful touches of color; they're little pieces of Mother Nature that will blend into your hair strands.

Take a look :

Jocla earrings

The Jocla is an ancestral form of Native American jewelry, which has survived the ages and is still produced today by expert Natives hands. The word Jocla refers to a long, beautiful necklace at the center of which are two pendants in the shape of long drops. These pieces, which serve as pendants on the necklace, can be detached to be worn as earrings: what ingenuity!

Today, Jocla necklaces are still made by talented artists, but earrings are also produced and can be purchased on their own.

Jocla earrings are made of turquoise stone heishi beads. Heishi beads are hand-cut and polished in the shape of small pucks or tubes. At the center of jocla earrings are often “corn beads”, i.e. small beads in the shape of a corn kernel (corn is a staple food of Southwestern Amerindians) made from an emblematic shellfish: the spondylus (spiny oyster).

The result is a full-length earring: these superb dangling earrings are elegant, refined pieces of jewelry that will complement any outfit.

Inlay earrings

In another equally sublime style, you'll find inlay earrings at HARPO. Inlay is a Zuni jewelry-making process, in which some Navajo artists also excel. 

The artists hand-cut genuine turquoise and other natural materials (mother-of-pearl, coral, black-jet) to form a geometric or figurative design. The resulting jewel is then polished to a refined, elegant finish. Native American inlay requires exceptional precision and craftsmanship, and is a highly original and colorful form of high-end jewelry.

Cactus Flower earrings in Needle Point

The Cactus Flower is a well-known symbol of Native American jewelry: finely cut turquoise creates the many petals of a beautiful flower-shaped jewel. It is a jewel as strong as it is subtle. As earrings, cactus flowers come in a variety of shapes (oval or round) and sizes.

Speaking of volume, Native American earrings come in every conceivable size.

From the smallest...

Lovely little studs are made by various Native American jewelers. These are very small earrings that close with butterfly-shaped clasps, covering only the earlobe and not hanging down. Like all HARPO jewelry, they are made of sterling silver, for comfort and durability. 

Although these silver and turquoise stone earrings are very small, here again, Native American artists excel in creating a wide variety of shapes and designs: from minimalist to more elaborate, whether you opt for a sleek or more ethnic style, you're bound to find something to your liking among the silver and turquoise stone earrings we carry at HARPO.

...To the biggest!

If you are into big and bold jewelry, Native American earrings are the perfect choice: earrings are meant to be seen! 

Hanging earrings frame your face, soften your jaw, highlight your cheekbones, accessorize your hair... Big earrings are the easy jewelry that make a statement! 

Our turquoise stone and sterling silver dangle earrings offer a wide range of volumes. From small, delicate dangling earrings to large, eye-catching earrings, you're sure to find what you're looking for at HARPO.

And what about the hoops? 

Hoops are very popular earrings. Native American silversmiths create hoop earrings, but unlike closed ones that go all the way around the lobe, the silver hoops made by Native American are not closed. HARPO's hoops have more of a half-moon shape and close with pushers. These solid silver creoles come in all shapes and sizes: small, discreet creoles or large rings - again, it's up to you to decide which you prefer!

How to care for your silver earrings?

HARPO earrings require the same care as all our Native American jewelry:

Hygienic care for your earrings.

For lasting comfort, don't hesitate to clean the tips of your silver earrings with disinfectant. If not every day, clean the back of your earrings from time to time, whenever you think of it or have a few minutes: although our earrings are made of sterling silver, the sensitivity of the skin and of pierced ears depends on each individual. So cleaning your earrings never hurts; it's a preventive hygiene gesture that will guarantee long-term comfort.

Keep your earrings out of the water.

Unless your earrings are pure sterling silver (i.e. without any stones set in them), keep them out of the water: no showering, bathing or swimming with your turquoise stone earrings (or other natural materials). Not exposing your stone-set earrings to water will keep them in good condition much longer, and the reason is simple: turquoise is a desert stone.

To store your earrings.

When you're not wearing your Harpo earrings, it's best to store them in the small cotton pouches we offer with every Harpo jewelry purchase. These pouches are ideal for storing and protecting your jewelry when you take it on the road. 

If you prefer to store your earrings in your jewelry box or on racks, it's important to do so in a dry room: avoid the bathroom, where moisture is often stagnant.