The Real Thing
Gallup: Indian jewelry capital of the world

ABOVE: Joe Benally looks over a piece of silver that will eventually become a bracelet while working at Ellis Tanner Trading Compnay on Thursday afternoon. Benally, who is known as "The Old Master", says it takes him about a day to make a small bracelet like the one he is working on. BELOW: A young patron at the Gallup Flea Market looks over necklaces made by artists from the Santo Domingo Pueblo. The flea market is a popular place for local artists to sell their wares. [photos by Brian Leddy / Independent]

By Karen Francis
Diné Bureau

GALLUP — Native American jewelry is internationally famous for its beauty and craftsmanship, and Gallup is a capital in the multimillion dollar Native American jewelry business with dozens of stores and hundreds of artists.

With the popularity of Indian jewelry, it’s no wonder that cheap knock-offs and fake jewelry are also available in the area. Some pieces are not made by Native Americans, while others are made by Native artists but have fake or plastic jewels.

While the sale of arts and crafts falsely suggesting they are Native American is prohibited by federal law under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990, it continues to remain a problem for people who buy Native arts and crafts.

Delene Touchine, director of Native Hands Co-op, said she was only fooled once when someone came in and sold her a bracelet plated with nickel.

“I do not buy any questionable stuff. If I feel that it is, I talk to the artist directly,” she said.

However, the best advice that most experts can give is to buy from reputable sources. The most often mentioned dealers in the area said to be reliable are Ellis Tanner Trading Company and Richardson’s Trading & Cash. Touchine also mentioned Shush Yaz and Joe Milo’s as reputable sources.

“I think those four businesses have really made an effort to connect with their neighbors — the Native Americans,” she said.

Ellis Tanner urges customers concerned about authenticity to get a letter of authenticity. His company will issue one upon request.

Asked for his tips for consumers on buying the best authentic Native American jewelry, Tanner said, “People ask me that and I’ve just done it for so long. When I make a mistake, it’s my money so I can’t make very many mistakes.” He acknowledged that people are constantly “trying to pull a fast one” on him.

He added that in this area there’s plenty of good quality authentic jewelry.

“The key to all of it is buying from reputable dealers. I was saying the same thing 30 to 40 years ago,” he said.

One advantage of dealing with long-established companies is they are reliable and customers can return to them if there are complaints, rather than overnight businesses, Tanner said.

He also said that people should be aware of sellers trying too hard to sell their product.

“It makes me uncomfortable when you act like a used car salesperson,” he said.

Tanner added that “if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.”

Authentic Native American jewelry is very expensive, so if something is an extremely low price, chances are the stones are not real or it isn’t authentic. A useful display at Earl’s Restaurant helps customers determine the difference between real and fake stones.

Touchine noted that with real stones, there are variations in the stone such as natural cracks and crevices. With fake ones, for example, the color can be more uniform. During a visit to some local vendors, she pointed to a pair of earrings in turquoise and coral colors. The shape and textures were similar in each with what appeared to be lines drawn on to simulate the variations between stones, but they were obviously fake.

Another tip that experts give is to ask what materials were used in making the piece and ask for a written record of the materials, the style and types of stones used. Customers should ask and get documentation about the artist that created the piece and the tribe he or she is from, as well as look for the artist signature.

Consumers should also become educated on Native American jewelry and be aware of the terms used. For instance, “handmade” means that the product was made entirely from raw materials, including plastic, by hand.

“Handcrafted” means that the product was made by assembling pre-made pieces. It could also contain natural materials or plastic materials. With “machine made” no hand work is involved. “Man-made materials” are usually made in laboratories such as man-made opals, pearls, or diamonds. “Block” is usually made from epoxies, resins and dyes, but it is basically plastic, which feels warmer than stone. In nickel or German silver, no silver is present and nickel polishes to a grayer finish than sterling silver, which is usually 92.5 percent silver and polishes brighter than nickel.