Meet the Artists

The name is the certificate

A genuine piece of Native American jewelry carries its maker with it: a hallmark stamped into the sterling, a name on the tag, and a dealer willing to repeat that name on the receipt. Mass-produced imports carry none of that, which is why the artist’s name is the working certificate of this trade. When a shop can tell you who made a piece and where the stone came from, everything else about that shop tends to be in order too.

Federal law stands behind the question. The Indian Arts and Crafts Act of 1990 makes it illegal to sell or display anything that falsely suggests it was made by a Native American artist. The practical translation for a buyer is simple: ask “who made this, and what tribe are they enrolled in?” A legitimate dealer answers on the spot and puts it in writing. Our guide to buying authentic Native American jewelry covers hallmarks, the law, and the receipt language to insist on.

That is also why some of the names above are studios rather than single artists. Studio GL and A Touch of Santa Fe are jewelry companies, and we describe them that way. We only name a tribe when the artist or a reliable source does.

And a note on who we are: Sunrise is a family-owned gallery, in Old Town Scottsdale for over 25 years and family owned and operated since 2006. We are not a Native-owned business, and we would never suggest otherwise. The artistry in these cases belongs to the artists. Our job is buying authentic work, naming its maker, and standing behind both.

How to read a hallmark

Turn the piece over. On most signed work you’ll find the artist’s name or initials stamped inside a ring band or on the back of a pendant or cuff, usually beside a sterling or “.925” mark. Most artist stories above tell you the mark to look for. That little stamp is the artist claiming the work, so treat it as the beginning of the story, not the end, and ask your dealer to tell you the rest.

One important nuance: unsigned does not mean inauthentic. Much of the early silverwork collectors call Old Pawn predates the widespread use of hallmarks, which is exactly where provenance and an honest dealer matter most. Our guide to what Old Pawn jewelry is tells that story properly.

Attribution runs past jewelry, too. Our hand-carved kachina dolls are carver-attributed for the same reason the silver is signed. And if you’re weighing a first purchase, our local guide to buying authentic turquoise in Scottsdale pulls all of this together: stones, hallmarks, laws and the questions to ask in any store, including ours.