Native American Cluster Jewelry
There are few styles of Native American jewelry as iconic and classic as the cluster style. Bold and almost mythical in proportion, cluster jewelry is a way to present more stone on a single bracelet or belt buckle than otherwise possible. The patterns are not particularly innovative, but the symmetry and characteristic array of gorgeous stone is as eye-catching as any other form of jewelry.
Cluster style really stands out, but it is also one of the most significant styles of Native American jewelry. If there is a single style that most people would identify as Native American, it would be the cluster style. Both Zuni and Navajo jewellers are well known for creating cluster style jewelry. These two tribes represent most of the commercial wearable art created by Native Americans.
Can you identify the tribe?
Can you tell whether a piece of cluster jewelry has been made by a Zuni or Navajo artist? Of the pieces displayed on this page, can you tell without reading whether a piece is Zuni or Navajo made?