History of Cherokee Gorgets: From Shell to Copper
Direct answer: Cherokee gorgets are pendant-style neck ornaments with roots in Southeastern Native tradition. The earliest were carved from shell around 200 BCE. Hammered copper gorgets came later, after European trade introduced copper alongside iron and steel, and Cherokee and other Southeastern artisans began shaping it with the repoussé technique. Today, a gorget can mark status, offer protection, or simply carry a wearer's own story.
What Is a Cherokee Gorget?
For many people, the history of Cherokee gorgets raises curiosity about how small pieces of metal came to carry big meaning. From ceremonial use to symbols of status and connection, gorgets have evolved through time, yet their stories remain tied to community, identity, and respect. This history isn't just about craft — it's about how a people have honored tradition, adopted tools of exchange, and navigated cultural change while honoring meaning and memory.
[INSERT PHOTO: Hero image — a finished copper gorget, close up, worn or laid flat to show detail. Suggested filename: cherokee-copper-gorget-necklace-detail.jpg. Suggested alt text: "Hand-hammered copper Cherokee gorget by Cherokee Copper."]
Why Were the First Gorgets Made of Shell?
Originally, before Europeans arrived, gorgets were made of shell. Carved with icons and symbols, highlighted with pigments, and sometimes pierced, these shell gorgets were a symbol of status, an amulet of protection, and a beautifully crafted adornment. The history of shell gorgets traces back to around 200 BCE.
The imagery carried on those early shell gorgets — figures, spirals, and symbols shared across Southeastern Native communities — belongs to what archaeologists call the Southeastern Ceremonial Complex, a body of shell, copper, and stone artifacts and iconography that moved through trade networks across the Southeast for centuries before European contact. Peer-reviewed archaeological research on gorgets from Cherokee town sites in southwestern North Carolina ties this imagery directly to Cherokee myth and legend, not just a general regional style.
How Did European Contact Change the Cherokee Gorget?
When settlers arrived, gorgets began to change. Stemming from the French word gorge, for throat, these pieces are reminiscent of the armor plates once used to protect the neck. Using copper — which became far more available through European trade, alongside iron and steel — Cherokee and other Southeastern artisans began hammering gorgets using the repoussé technique. A new form took shape from an old tradition.
It's worth being precise here: the copper *gorget* as most people picture it today is this later development. The deeper copper-working tradition it draws on, though, goes back much further. Cherokee coppersmith Steve Mashburn has said Cherokee people have worked copper for close to 10,000 years — used first for tools, later for adornment and status pieces (Cherokee Phoenix, "Threads Through Time: Copper," 2023). So while the hammered copper gorget itself is a newer expression, it's built on a much older relationship with the material.
[INSERT PHOTO: Process shot — hammering or repoussé work on a copper gorget blank. Suggested filename: copper-gorget-repousse-technique-cherokee-copper.jpg. Suggested alt text: "Copper gorget being shaped using the repoussé technique in the Cherokee Copper studio."]
What Does "Gorget Captain" Mean?
The British in particular would award gorgets to Native American chiefs as a token of goodwill, and as a marker of the recipient's status. Those given a gorget this way were sometimes called Gorget Captains. It's a reminder that the gorget has always carried meaning beyond decoration — it has marked belonging, respect, and standing within a community.
Our Gorgets
Every one of our gorgets is handcrafted and tells a story.
If you wear the Mother's Tear gorget, you carry the story of a mother's sadness, her love for her home, and her family. If you wear a custom gorget, you tell your own story — the design rests at the base of your throat, and the custom design speaks to who you are and what you stand for. No matter the piece, a story is being carried, appreciated, and expressed.
Cherokee Copper started making our gorgets due to customer requests, but we're so glad we did. Our customers love them because they're beautiful pieces of jewelry — and because they're beautiful pieces of history.
The past echoes long into the future, and we're glad to be a part of the sound.
[INSERT PHOTO: Product/detail image — the Mother's Tear gorget or a custom gorget on display. Suggested filename: mothers-tear-gorget-cherokee-copper.jpg. Suggested alt text: "The Mother's Tear gorget by Cherokee Copper, hand-engraved copper pendant."]
Learn more about custom gorgets here.
Find all of our gorget designs here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Cherokee gorget?
A gorget is a pendant-style piece worn at the throat, originally a symbol of status, protection, and identity among Southeastern Native peoples including the Cherokee. Today Cherokee Copper hand-crafts gorgets in copper, carrying that same tradition forward.
Were Cherokee gorgets originally made of shell or copper?
Shell. Shell gorgets date back to around 200 BCE and were carved with icons, tinted with pigment, and sometimes pierced. Hammered copper gorgets came later, after European trade made copper more widely available.
What does the word "gorget" mean?
Gorget comes from the French word gorge, meaning throat. The term originally referred to armor plates that protected the neck, and it carried over to describe the pendant-style adornment worn in the same place.
Why did the British give gorgets to Cherokee chiefs?
The British awarded gorgets to Native American chiefs as a token of goodwill and as a marker of status. Those who received one were sometimes called Gorget Captains.
What does a Cherokee gorget mean today?
A modern Cherokee gorget carries personal and cultural meaning depending on its design. At Cherokee Copper, gorgets like the Mother's Tear carry a specific story, while custom gorgets let the wearer tell their own.
