Albuquerque Native Jewelry

Albuquerque native jewelry is a huge tourist draw and one of New Mexico’s most important industries. But con artists are now flooding the Indian jewelry marketplace with cleverly disguised counterfeits, cheating consumers out of millions of dollars.

Counterfeit albuquerque jewelry stores is now a federal crime. It’s a fourth-degree felony under the Indian Arts and Crafts Act.

In the early 1990s, Congress passed a law that made it a crime to falsely claim a work of art is Native-made if it was not produced by a Native person or tribe. The law was designed to protect Native Americans from cultural erasure and promote the economic development of Native peoples through their arts and crafts.

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Despite the law, however, con artists continue to churn out hundreds of thousands of knock-off Native American pieces. These fakes are often so good that even those in the know don’t recognize them.

Albuquerque Native Jewelry – How to Spot a Counterfeit

To spot a fake, look for a reputable retailer that is committed to bringing quality and integrity to the Native American jewelry market. That means asking for a warranty on the jewelry and obtaining a receipt stating where it was manufactured.

It also helps to check whether the store’s owner is a Native American. If they are, then it is likely that their staff has direct knowledge of the jewelry’s origin.

A reputable dealer will also be able to provide you with the artist’s name, signature and tribal affiliation. Some Native jewelers, including Artie Yellowhorse, David Rosales (Super Smith Inc) and Stoneweaver (Stephen Harper), employ a number of local Native American artisans to create their designs.

If you are a Native American artist or artisan who is interested in selling your work, contact the New Mexico Center for Native Arts and Culture at 317-432-2500. They can help you with the legal and administrative aspects of opening a Native American art business, as well as marketing and sales strategies.

The Center for Native Arts and Culture is a nonprofit organization that promotes the arts and culture of the Native American people of New Mexico. It has offices in both Santa Fe and Albuquerque.

They offer a variety of programs and events that celebrate Native history, arts and culture, including feast days, which are annual celebrations of indigenous traditions and heritage. Feasts are an important part of tribal life and can involve music, dance, a feast meal and a traditional ceremony.

These events are great ways to bring the community together, share information about native history and celebrate a rich cultural heritage. Many of these events are free and open to the public.

Some of these events can be found in the downtown Santa Fe area, but others are located across New Mexico and the Southwest. Some of these events are in conjunction with museums or other institutions that exhibit Native art.

Several of the centers have a curated inventory of Native art that can be purchased in the gallery or at the center’s gift shop. These stores sell a wide variety of Navajo, Zuni, Hopi and Santo Domingo wares.