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Black Hills gold jewelry is a handcrafted heirloom jewelry with tricolor gold leaf, vine and flower accents. It originated in the 19th century in the Black Hills area, where gold was discovered and mining became a serious economic focus. FL Thorpe is credited for developing the distinctive style, and Landstrom’s is the largest manufacturer in the industry today.
Black Hills gold jewelry is any piece of handcrafted, heirloom jewelry distinguished by its tricolor gold leaf, vine and flower accents. Pendants, bracelets, and rings are popular Black Hills gold jewelry items, but there are many assorted items for both men and women. The history of this heirloom jewelry dates back to the 19th century, and while there are many imitations, there is only one true style.
The area known as the Black Hills was inhabited by Native American Indian tribes for hundreds of years. The Lokata considered the Black Hills sacred, as they believed the area was the center of the world. Gold was discovered in the Black Hills in the late 1860s, and as the news spread, white settlement increased in the area and the town of Deadwood, a historic mining town, developed. It was in this area that gold and silver mining became a serious economic focus and also where a goldsmith named ST Butler resided.
Although ST Butler is credited as the father of Black Hills gold jewelry, it was his grandson, FL Thorpe, who would become the all-time leading firm name and style. Thorpe started his own company in Deadwood in 1919 and made the jewelery that had already developed a distinctive style over a period of three generations. At the beginning of the business, Thorpe had a partner named EO Lampinen, but the partnership was dissolved and Lampinen started his own company. Ivan Landstrom bought the company in 1944 and took it out of Deadwood. Many years later, in the 1980s, a federal court judge ruled that a manufacturer can only call their product Black Hills gold jewelry if the product is actually made in the Black Hills.
In 1995, Landstrom purchased the original FL Thorpe Company and today, while many companies have established themselves in the Black Hills to make jewelry, Landstrom’s is the largest manufacturer in the industry. Each grower has their own style and design, though the focus always remains on the multi-colored blades and detailed accents. Landstrom makes many new styles of jewelry, but also continues to make some of Thorpe’s original designs.
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