The History of Turquoise Watches

In the early to mid twentieth century, Native American jewelry artists started creating silver watch band bracelets. The watch band is either decorative silver watch tips or turquoise watch tips attached with to an expansion band or a silver watch bracelet that a watch face is attached in the center and worn as a silver watch cuff bracelet. The watch cuff bracelet, a solid silver cuff bracelet with a watch attached to the center, started being regularly made by southwest and Navajo artists after 1940. These silver watch bracelets style after the traditional silver bracelet with a stone in the center, except there is a watch face in the center. Many of these come with turquoise or turquoise and coral stones at the sides of the bracelet. The watch bracelets are made with hand stamped designs or with decorative appliqué designs of silver flowers and leaves. The turquoise watch and silver cuff watches were not a traditional piece of Native American jewelry and were mainly made at the time for the tourist trade. Turquoise watch bands and silver cuff watches for women have become in style with Native American jewelry, non-native Americans and internationally as well. The Native American watch has become a popular jewelry item for both women and men in our culture blending style with function.

The Navajo watch band has become a statement in style in American Indian jewelry. The Navajo create watch bands adorned with a variety of gemstones to choose from. Their silver watch bands come with turquoise, coral, onyx, lapis, malachite, opal, amethyst and more stones. The Navajo artists also are making modern styles of turquoise inlay watch bands. Blending in with contemporary style, the Navajo are making silver watch bands with a toggle closure and lobster clasp in bracelet fashion that is worn loosely. The Navajo watch band also is created without stones with hand stamped designs or ornate style with appliqué flowers.

We carry styles of the turquoise watch band by the Zuni Indian jewelry artists as well. The Zuni are known for their lapidary skills in finely hand-cutting stones. The type of hand-cut stone work they do is known as petit point, needlepoint and inlay.

Turquoise watch bands for women are popular in Native American jewelry and make a great gift that is both a beautiful jewelry item and can be worn for daily use. Turquoise watches for men are a popular accessory, too. When shopping for Native American jewelry for men or turquoise jewelry for men the men’s turquoise watch is a great gift idea as well. We offer a beautiful selection of turquoise watches for men and women in our Native American jewelry online store.

 

We carry a large selection of Navajo watch bands with different gemstones in both sterling silver watch bands and the silver cuff watches for women and men. The Indian watch bands with expansion band can be adjusted to size. We offer this service and most of your local watch jewelers do as well. You can also adjust your watch band yourself using these instructions for adjusting expansion watch bands.

We also offer watch faces and a turquoise watch face for your silver watch band and Navajo watch bands. All of our Native American watch bands come with your satisfaction guaranteed! Enjoy shopping our turquoise watches for women and men’s turquoise watch selection in our Turquoise Jewelry gallery and American Indian jewelry online. Southwest Silver Gallery is pleased to present the finest in turquoise jewelry, and you will be pleased to wear it!