Fred Harvey Company Charm Necklace [SOLD]

During the late 1800s, the Fred Harvey Company built hotels along the rail line from the midwest to the California coast.  In many of these hotels, particularly at the Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque, the Fred Harvey Company had gift shops featuring arts and crafts of Native American tribes.  Jewelry made by native craftsmen was particularly popular with train travelers.  Jewelry with silver and turquoise was not known outside the Southwest so it made a particularly unique souvenir to take back home.

The Fred Harvey Company hired Native smiths to make jewelry for sale in the Harvey Hotels.  The Fred Harvey Company provided the materials and the Indian smiths provided the labor.  Particularly popular were jewelry items with Indian symbols, or what were perceived by tourists as Indian symbols. The thunderbird became the iconic symbol of the Fred Harvey Company.

The five charms in this necklace were made by Native American silversmiths for the Fred Harvey Company. The square center charm features a large arrow over which  a thunderbird with a small piece of turquoise is set. Accompanying the arrow charm is a mother-in-law bell, a deep blue turquoise pendant and two smaller Fred Harvey “characters” – a dog and a thunderbird.  The Navajo mother-in-law bell is worn by the mother-in-law to warn her son-in-law of her impending arrival. The Navajo believe that the two must not lay eyes on each other. The group of charms is set on a sturdy but delicate silver chain.

Condition: the charms are in excellent condition and the chain is new

Provenance: this Fred Harvey Company Charm Necklace is from a jewelry collection in Albuquerque

Recommended Reading: Inventing the Southwest, The Fred Harvey Company and Native American Art by  Kathleen L. Howard and Diana F. Pardue