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.

If you have followed our emails for long, you know how we feel about Ray Lovato. This Santo Domingo jeweler is one of the last in that village who still hand grinds turquoise beads to make heishi jewelry.

Nothing is as striking as a necklace made of strands of red coral beads from Kewa (Santo Domingo) Pueblo.

When I was growing up and learning the Indian Arts and Crafts business, there were three Hopi artists that I remember the best.

Back in the late 1960s and early 1970s, there was a huge boom in interest in Southwestern Native American art, but mostly in Indian jewelry. Turquoise and silver were the rage and, while much of the jewelry sold at that time was mediocre, and a lot of it was never touched by an actual Native American.