Some items from the David Yurman Frontier collection. Photo from Loring & Co Fine Jewelers

Cultural appropriation is always a sensitive topic but some designers aren't shy about taking inspiration from Native artists and Native cultures.

Jewelry designer Pamela Love said she's been influenced by the late Charles Loloma, who was a member of the Hopi Tribe. She's also incorporated feathers, medicine wheels, snakes and arrowheads into her pieces and is planning an entirely new collection with turquoise, a stone typically used by Native artisans.

“What’s special about Native American culture is that it does a beautiful job of making the connection to the environment and respect for how we got here, in a really poetic way," Love told The New York Times.

David Yurman, another jewelry designer, has a new Frontier collection whose pieces look at lot like those from Native artists, just at higher prices. According to the Times, a "portion" of the production takes place in New Mexico, although it wasn't reported whether Native people are being employed.

For those interested in appreciating Native artists more directly, the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City is exhibiting the works of the Yazzies family from Navajo Nation until January 2016.

Get the Story:
Beauty and Balance in Turquoise (The New York Times 5/14)

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