Desert Dazzlers

By Martha Duffy

It is ethnic, environmental or political, depending on whom you talk to, but mostly it is fashion: big, bold and hot this summer. It is Native American jewelry -- anything from a $15 pair of earrings to a '40s concha belt that might go for $40,000. Like many fads, Indian jewelry was not born yesterday. In the late '60s and early '70s, the carved stones and silver appealed to young rebels; Woodstock was full of Indian finery. Later, when artists and Hollywood celebrities like Steven Spielberg took up Santa Fe and Southwestern decor in a big way, jewelry, along with rugs and pottery, became collectible.

That upscale market is still burgeoning, but Indian motifs have lately found their way back into street chic as well. When fashion mingles with the street, it is hard to pinpoint how the trend began. The hit 1990 film Dances with Wolves brought Native American culture into sharp visual focus. Rappers like TLC were among the first to embrace the look: wide chokers, clunky bolo ties (often on bare chests), fanciful belts. Other rockers -- Lenny Kravitz and Jon Bon Jovi -- have followed along. Janet Jackson flaunts a white-shell-and- silver Mummy's Bundle choker on her new videos. On MTV, the veejays are decked out in silver and bone. Angelique Bianca, guitarist for a group called -- what else? -- the Indians, wears the jewelry as a form of environmental protest. "The earth is being raped," she says. "The truth is that we have to go back to the earth."

Back to the earth, back to nature: that sums up the appeal of Indian adornment, plain or fancy. Even the most sophisticated Navajo silver carvings radiate intense, earthy vitality. Small pieces called Rock Kritters -- mostly rings, pins and tie clips -- leap with life: jumping men, running animals, charging warriors. Among the cheapest items available, they are adapted from ancient pictographs found in the Southwest desert.

The tradition comes mainly from four tribes: the Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and Santo Domingo. The Navajos work in heavy stone, with exquisite silver carving; the Zuni in patterned filigree. The Hopi are nonstop fabulists. Their story belts form linear odysseys -- carved panel by panel, link by silver link.

The images are obvious: sun, moon, animals, plants such as squash blossoms. But just as surely as in 17th century Dutch painting, every object is a symbol too. Like Native Americans themselves, jewelry fanciers feel power in a massive Navajo turquoise bracelet, transcendence in a kachina, or spirit, figure. The entire craft is devoted to good luck.

No wonder it has a broad, flourishing market. On Manhattan's East Side, David Saity sees an influx of international customers in his elegant showroom. But then, this veteran jeweler was accustomed to having Fred Astaire drop by in search of a little bit of luck. Fine specimens need not be pricey. For one thing, gold is still rarely used. "Silver jewelry is a lot less expensive than gold," says Raphael Seidel, owner of Golden Fleece in Albuquerque, New Mexico. "If you lose a silver earring, you don't have to make a trip to your psychiatrist."

Gary Gordon, president of B.G. Mudd, a trading company in Gallup, New Mexico, thinks the key to Indian fever is neither politicized rockers nor savvy savers. "People drifted West, all the way to Los Angeles, but they found it was too kooky," he says. "What we have now is the backlash, people who want stability." After stability, he adds wryly, comes Ralph Lauren. "Now it's a look. The Southwest is here to stay."

With reporting by Elizabeth L. Bland/New York