Alex Sanchez is one of those artists who bridges traditional and contemporary in his jewelry. His work is heavy, and his stamp work is precise. He only uses top-quality stones. That would be enough for Sanchez to stand out among his contemporaries, but he takes the work a step further.

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.

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.