I thought that Isaac would want to do the same with some of the jewelry in the magazine.  He told me that he doesn’t like to look at other peoples jewelry to much because he doesn’t want to be overly influenced by it.  His goal is to create his own designs from his own dreams/thoughts/imagination.

I wanted to share that because I think there are many artists out there who do the exact same thing and that is what qualifies them as an artists in my book.  The “silversmith” can shape the metal which is really impressive but they don’t always see the designs in their minds eye year after year.  The artist has true inspiration that probably never dies as long as they are going about things in a healthy way (I mean not burning out).

True art speaks to you when you see it.  You know you are looking at something original and that means something.  If you are planning on buying a piece this year go for the art.  It will be timeless and you will take a part of the artists with you when you make the purchase.  That’s special.

I think by the time you are creating jewelry that “collectors” will want then you have a really good handle on the fabrication aspect of your art.

At this stage you know how to avoid heat scale, you know how to cut and shape your metal, and you understand compositions.

Unfortunately, the hardest obstacle (for many artists) to climb can be better materials.  Higher end collectors want the good stuff which means a higher grade of stone and shell.

Stones usually come in different grades.  The higher the grade, the higher the cost.  The higher the grade, the harder it is to come bye.  Usually there is some type of authentification from the owner of the mine.  This document shows your purchase and a date.  The cost difference can be in the thousands.  The general public usually only gets a low grade which gives you a 100 dollar ring.  The collector gets a $1500 – $5000 ring which fits the cost of the high grade stone.

The image above is a ring by Isaac Dial.  The materials used are – Ebony Wood, Grade A Mediterranean coral,  Fossilized Ivory, and Kingman Turquoise.  The design is original and the ring is custom.

The goal is to be unique but not to over the top (that isn’t always easy).  To much Turquoise, Coral, Ivory or Wood and you can loose part of your audience.  Its always a good idea to draw out the project before the construction actually begins.

Custom Jewelry is more than just an art, its a passion.  We hope you find that ring your looking for.  Its out there, you just have to go after it.  Good Luck.

JD

For those who do not know, at this Pow Wow “Wampum” is king.  The shell is well received in the North Eastern states because of its history with the shell.  For those who do not know the North Eastern tribes put the shell on the map.  Literally.  As traders came through on routes from one area or another, the shell would be used as currency.

The shell can be found up and down the Atlantic coast, but the largest and best shells are found in the colder waters.  The shell is a clam shell and polishes up so nicely.  Our family loves this stone and has used it in many pieces over the years.  To those who bought wampum jewelry from us this weekend.

If you didn’t get a piece of wampum jewelry from us this year.  Maybe we can show you something you will like next year.  Take care good people

Hi Hi – We thank you.  We hope you all have a good year.

The work I am referring to was from China, the turquoise was chinese and the work wasn’t very good.  Please don’t misunderstand me, there are awesome jewelers in the country of China.  I have seen their work first hand, I know they have a ton of skill.  However what I saw was not very well done and so I make reference to it here.

My first thought was pretty plain.  This jewelry is going to kill the market and the art will die.  That same year was the first year that we attended the Santa Fe Indian Market.  My eyes were opened at that show.  Hearing about it doesn’t do it justice.  The scale of the show matches that scale of the artist.  It is a show case of talent for sure.

After that weekend, I changed my thoughts about the art fading away.  I now think it is bigger than ever, however there is a separation that is taking place.  You have the “big show artist”, and then you have the artist that create for the masses.  There is tons of talent in both arenas, but the “big show artist” doesn’t sell jewelry anywhere else.  He or she will work all year on just the 2-4 shows a year and then take orders from private buyers.  It actually really impressive.

Within our family we have both kinds of artist and I love the diversity.  We don’t really place a lot of our private buyer pieces on the www.redhandjewelry.com, we usually post those on www.theturquoiseloft.com.  If there is an interest then stope on in and look at some of what we are posting there.

So what does that do to our venue of art.  Well we have a good guess.   The price in materials is really going to separate the random ”one off” jeweler .   There are hundreds of “small” guys who will buy just enough silver to make about 4-8 pieces. With the price of silver going through the roof it will make it much more difficult to wholesale jewelry at any level.

Our goal is to keep Native American Jewelry affordable.  We have always wanted to give the customer an amazing product at a great price.  While other place are raising prices 40% we try to keep prices reasonably the same.  We hope that as you show you will be able to continue to find good deals.

Custom Native American necklace by Isaac Dial.  Taking Native American jewelry to new places.  If you like the necklace then share the video.  Thanks much.

Usually whena piece is made for you and only you there is a very high mark up. When you leave with that design you take a part of the artist with you that is never shared with any other. Some believe you take a dream from that artist when have a “one of a kind” piece created. I don’t know how much stock some may put into that idea, but I personally believe it with a whole heart.

I know artist who get that “one of a kind” order and they think of it for months before they even start. They think of the buyer, they think of what they know of buyer and start thier process.

Most artist don’t really want to give that “one of a kind” piece away. They know it is a part of them and they really hate to see it go. On our site we really only show pics or slide shows of that work. We do not make them available in mass quantity because or our agreement with our buyers. On Redhandjewelry.com we make our jewelry by hand but only certain pieces will not be duplicated. We enjoy what we do on all our work, but the “one of a kind” pieces hold a special place in our hearts.

Let us start your piece today. Whether it is a small piece you see on our site of a drawing you send to use for a concept we will do our very best to make you happy.

Native American Jewelry – how to make part 1 from Jason Dial on Vimeo.