Yes, there is a day to recognize and celebrate Native American Heritage. It is the day after Thanksgiving. The month of November is Native American Heritage Month.

One of Albuquerque’s best-known dealers in Southwest Indian arts and crafts was Manny Goodman, who, along with his wife Ann, ran the Covered Wagon store on the south side of the Old Town Plaza in Albuquerque.

Native American artists made the original Southwestern Native Earrings with turquoise and shell beads that were often two or three inches long or more. The beads were strung on a cotton string put through a hole in the ear lobe. Both men and women wore these earrings, which are very similar to the works of current Santo Domingo artist Ray Lovato, except they hang by silver wires!

In the mid-1800s, Zuni metal smiths began fashioning jewelry out of copper. Much of it was for their own use, but as the tourists started to come to the Southwest in the late 1800s, much of it was sold in Gallup, the hub of the Native tourist trade.

How about that? According to a story in the Wall Street Journal, turquoise is having a jewelry resurgence! I did not realize it had gone out of style, but I guess that’s from living in the Desert Southwest!

Coral became a popular material for Native artists to work with hundreds of years ago when European Traders began to bring it to the Southwest as a trade item. Early on, the small pieces of coral were drilled and strung on necklaces made of drilled shell beads and, usually, pieces of turquoise.

When Jimmy Poyer traveled the country with his country-rock band, he was often on the road. But he got bored between his music gigs.

Both of my grandmothers were pin wearers.  Most of the adult women I grew up around wore these decorative pieces of jewelry on their blouses, on the lapels of their jackets, or, as my dad’s mother and aunt did, on her hats. They were both a little eccentric and a lot of fun!

We recently received three outstanding pieces of Indian jewelry and one made by a legendary white guy who has earned the respect of Native artists.

Wil Vandever was a highly collected Navajo jeweler, known best for his detailed silverwork and use of high-quality stones.

He learned to be a jeweler when he married his wife, Cora, and went on to win many awards for his work.

For years, back when I oversaw the Indian Arts and Crafts Association’s wholesale markets, two of the people I always looked forward to working with were Gene and Martha Jackson. They always had a smile and Martha used to stock her booth with treats. Since I can’t walk by a bowl of candy or snacks without getting personally involved, their booth was one of my favorites.

Andy Cadman was born in 1966 in Gallup and has made a name for himself with his beautiful silver jewelry which is usually set with multiple stones and features a lot of stamp work.