Native American Jewelry... (Santa Fe, Taos, Chimayo: lease, buying, income)

[Sillypups]

Any good places to buy Native American Jewelry in Northern NM ???
OR
Just buy it in Colorado ???

Thanks

[greatblueheron]

Is Santa Fe northern enough?? The Navajo artists who create this lovely jewelry sell their own wares on the square of the city weekly. Not sure of the day, may be Saturdays. They pay a bit to the city but then get all the money, no middle-man cuts into the artist income.

I know this because I bought a lot of it on ONE day while on vacation and have never regretted it!

[joqua]

Originally Posted by greatblueheron

Is Santa Fe northern enough?? The Navajo artists who create this lovely jewelry sell their own wares on the square of the city weekly. Not sure of the day, may be Saturdays.

Those who lease spaces under the portico of the Palace of Governors are there 7 days a week, except for days when the weather is simply too bad.

Otherwise there have to be literally hundreds of shops in the north half of the state that sell Indian jewelry.

[tecpatl]

Originally Posted by Sillypups

Any good places to buy Native American Jewelry in Northern NM ???
OR
Just buy it in Colorado ???

Thanks

Your question is puzzling, unless you're already in Colorado. There are many, many great places to buy Indian jewelry in New Mexico. A great percentage of all Indian jewelry is made IN New Mexico, so this can't be a surprise.
My personal take on this is to avoid high-priced shops on the Santa Fe plaza, as you will pay the Santa Fe premium. Most savvy people would probably agree with me, though the fine shops on the plaza and elsewhere tend to have high quality, genuine goods.
Fewer will agree with my advice to be very, very cautious about buying on the Indian vendors under the Palace of the Governors sidewalk. This isn't to say there is not some good jewelry there, but, as someone with an educated and professional eye, I can tell you that in my strolls along that area there is a large amount of very questionable jewelry offered up to tourists. Maybe the fun and thrill of buying from a genuine card-carrying Indian gets confused with good judgement in some cases. Indians certainly understand this and can, in some circumstances, take advantage of it to sell machine made stuff at handmade prices.
The State of New Mexico has shut down the Palace vendors at various times, always due to abuse of trust by vendors. After cleaning house, it reopens, though the junk tends to filter back in gradually. I hope the situation is better than the last time I visited 18 months ago.
I love the idea of direct from maker to consumer...but that's only if the maker is actually MAKING, and not buying from a low-end wholesaler (or buying foreign made parts) to re-sell. Quality, handmade silver jewelry is NOT cheap, so a good deal may be TOO good to make sense.
Learn about what you're going to buy, then look hard at what's offered before making a purchase. Buy good stuff, buy what you love, and enjoy wearing it. And buy it in New Mexico.

[Agnapostate]

I ordered a Navajo bolo (a bear) from a New Mexican retailer months ago, and received a dinged product. I sent it back and the artist apparently lagged it with a new one, so the retailer tried to give me a horse. I refused, saying that I had ordered a bear and wanted a bear, but I picked one up in the meantime, so I said what the hell ever give me the horse. Haven't spotted that one either.

More or less, I would tell you to be careful and make sure that whatever you get comes with a certificate of authenticity.

[CAVA1990]

I noted quite a few Indian jewelry and ceramics vendors at card tables near the old church last time I was in Chimayo. You can also visit some of the Pueblos that have gift shops where you can buy their wares. I've enjoyed doing that in the past. There are also of plenty of shops in Taos where you can find just about anything.

[Sillypups]

Thank you everyone for all the info.

We were in Santa Fe & Albuguerque in 1993. Just LOVED it.
Wish I would have bought more.

We will be in CO. Springs visiting friends. My friend in Co. knows of several places that sells Native American jewelry in CO.
I just thought since we were so close to NM we might be able to drive into the state & find more. I know my Hubby doesn't want to drive too much after our LONG trip of getting to CO. We will be limited on time

Sterling Silver Native American jewelry is what I live for. To me...nothing is more beautiful. I've been wearing this type of jewelry since my first turquoise ring when I was 8. Way over 40 years ago.
Yes...I know my Silver.
I have bought from Alltribes.com & have bought several pieces of jewelry that were just beautiful. All of their pieces are by different artist & every piece comes with a certificate of authenticity.

I also love the ceramics & pottery... so thank you for mentioning that CAVA1990. Thank you for mentioning Taos. I will check the city out.

Thank you everyone...I so appreciate all the info & advive.
If you all think of anything or anywhere else...please post it.

[aries63]

You might want to check the website of the Indian Arts & Crafts Association (http://www.iaca.com/index.php?pageid=3 - broken link) to find out which dealers are members. Go to the "members" tab and click on "retail", you'll see dealers in Colorado and New Mexico (and just about every other state and several countries).

From their website: "IACA’s work to support the effective protection, ethical promotion of authentic Native American art and preservation of material culture has helped instill confidence in the consumer marketplace. Through its markets, educational publications, cultural programs, seminars and networking to enable artists’ work to reach a global market, IACA has played an integral role in the strengthening of the Indian arts and crafts industry. Consumers know that if they see the IACA logo, they can buy with confidence."

[Sillypups]

Thank you. Great info.

[Sillypups]

Does anyone else have any input on my original question ?

Thanks