Notes

what is Mexican Jewelry
THE INCREDIBLE & BEAUTIFUL HISTORY OF GEMSTONES IN MEXICAN JEWELRY
Mexican precious jewelry has an abundant custom dating back literally thousands of years. In the past, we have actually written about the historic use of silver in Mexican precious jewelry. Today we'll discuss how native Mexican craftsmens have actually used gems to add flair, style, and deep meaning to their incredible artworks.

You'll learn the history of gems in Mexican fashion jewelry and find how the motifs, styles, and significances of Mexican jewelry have evolved over the centuries.
First, let's quickly review a few of the gems you'll regularly discover utilized in Mexican precious jewelry.

Blue-green-- A stunning blue-green stone, favored by artisans because it is easy to work with in addition to for its charm
Amethyst-- The most valuable kind of quartz and understood for its dazzling purple color
Black Onyx-- A really rare and striking stone, black onyx fashion jewelry is thought to bring the wearer good luck, fortune and wealth.
Red Jasper-- Polished to a high shine, jasper is an incredibly durable stone used for beaded necklaces, pendants, and other pieces of fashion jewelry.
In addition to these gems, obsidian a black volcanic glass, and jade, an abundant green stone, are both frequently found in traditional Mexican fashion jewelry.

Themes of Mexican Precious Jewelry
In addition to the variety of gemstones used, Mexican precious jewelry has numerous noteworthy motifs:

Spiritual-- From early Mayan civilizations through today, religious beliefs has actually been an important element of life in Mexico. Mexican artists throughout the years have utilized precious jewelry to represent and honor their faiths.
Natural-- Mexican artists frequently discover motivation in the natural beauty of their incredible country! Birds, snakes, lizards, pests, and flowers are all typically represented in Mexican gemstone jewelry.
Artistic Movements-- Modern Mexican precious jewelry typically blends silver and gemstones to show art motions like Surrealism and Cubism, among others.

Pre-Columbian Gemstone Precious Jewelry
The Beginnings of Mexican Fashion Jewelry: Early Mayan Duration
Throughout the really earliest years of the Mayan empire, artists fashioned jewelry from the products offered to them: teeth and bones from animals. As the civilization advanced, nevertheless, striking fashion jewelry styles started to emerge.

Gold, jade, obsidian, and silver were all used by Mayan artists. Precious jewelry wasn't just suggested to be gorgeous, it likewise represented a wearer's social status or had spiritual significance. Early Mayans were also thinking about body adjustment and produced pieces indicated to pierce the wearer's nose, lips, or ears!

Historical Turquoise in Mexico
The history of Mexican blue-green jewelry began over 2,000 years back! Native tribes utilized blue-green in their fashion jewelry as early as the 200 BC! Early native artisans used blue-green to craft beads that could be traded as currency or to produce beautiful precious jewelry. In addition to jewelry, blue-green was typically used by Pre-Columbian artists to develop unbelievable mosaics!

Toltec Turquoise & Jade
Moving on nearly 1,000 years to around 900 AD, the Toltec civilization was also understood for its incredible use of turquoise and other gemstones in jewelry, art, and religious iconography. Even more prized by Toltec artists was jade, a rich green gems. Jade was deemed a gift from the gods to the Toltec people who used it in precious jewelry and to decorate their weapons!

Aztec
The peak of the Aztec empire started around 1150 AD and continued till around 1500 and the arrival of Spanish conquistadors. During wholesale fashion jewelry , Aztec precious jewelry makers utilized blue-green and other gemstones to honor their gods.

Xiuhtecuhtli was the Aztec god of fire and the name approximately equates to "Turquoise Lord!" Aztec artists made turquoise masks, statues, and mosaics in his honor. Montezuma, possibly the most famous Aztec emperor was typically honored in pieces of jewelry.

In addition to turquoise, Aztec fashion jewelry was likewise understood for its use of opals, jade, and amethyst. Aztec fashion jewelry makers established innovative approaches of grinding and polishing gemstones and even created drills to make holes in stones for beads. Aztec jewelry frequently honored animals like jaguars, birds, and snakes-- all of which held powerful religious significance.

Spanish Influences
Spanish conquistadors reached Mexico in the early 16th century, causing the downfall of the Aztecs and other civilizations. Throughout the centuries after the Spanish shown up, many European and Spanish influences can be seen in Mexican fashion jewelry.

Silver rapidly ended up being a popular material and new gems were likewise brought over from Europe. Elaborately developed earrings were popular in Europe at the time and ended up being a trademark of Mexican jewelry that continues to this day.

Spanish metalworkers also brought new methods to Mexico, including filigree and repousse. In addition to these methods, Mexican artists learned to "encrust" fashion jewelry with little gems, a contrast with earlier pieces that included larger shaped, sculpted, or sleek gems.
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