Native American Jewelry Hallmarks

Native American silversmiths and other jewelry artists use hallmarks to sign their work. A hallmark is signature stamp embedded in the metal of a piece of jewelry or metal art. This a directory of Native American jewelry hallmarks and has been arranged in alphabetical order. 

The idea of signing or marking an art piece has been around for a long time, however, it wasn’t until the late 1970’s that it was common practice among Native American jewelry artists. The majority of artists use a series of letters, often their initials, as a hallmark commonly used as Navajo marks. The problem is that it became very popular and many artists have the same initials. Some have created their own unique symbols as commonly seen among members of the Hopi Tribe. The Zuni Tribe often mark their jewelry with a embroiling or soldering pen. Today well-known invest in a custom signature stamp that engraves the entire name to be less confusing.