THE TRUTH ABOUT WHITE BUFFALO
Chad Barela Chad Barela

THE TRUTH ABOUT WHITE BUFFALO

Considered by many as turquoise, it’s technically not. It was originally called “White Buffalo Turquoise” by
those who discovered it, due to it being found in veins similar to turquoise, which is where the source of confusion…

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THE ORIGINS OF SOUTHWEST SILVERSMITHING
Chad Barela Chad Barela

THE ORIGINS OF SOUTHWEST SILVERSMITHING

Contrary to what many people think, silversmithing is not native to the Navajo people of the Southwest. According to “Navajo Silver”, metal working in general was introduced to the Navajo people by the…

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W-23 HERITAGE COLLECTION - THE MAKING OF
Chad Barela Chad Barela

W-23 HERITAGE COLLECTION - THE MAKING OF

This seasons collection of pieces feature some of our best turquoise we’ve acquired to date. High grade Kingman waterweb turquoise out of arizona. This stuff is hard to come by but We got a little lucky

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WISDOM COMES WITH AGE
Chad Barela Chad Barela

WISDOM COMES WITH AGE

Our constant pursuit is to create with the past in mind. They say you can’t acquire wisdom without weathering a few storms and so we’ve followed that logic.

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NEVER SETTLE
Chad Barela Chad Barela

NEVER SETTLE

In a paired interest of preserving Southwest tradition and maintaining the old American standard of craftsmanship, I’ve been constantly challenged to never settle.

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TUFA CASTING
Chad Barela Chad Barela

TUFA CASTING

Many of the pieces in our Fall 2021 collection employ the use of tufa casting. Collaborative in its origin, the technique was taught by the Spanish to the Indians in exchange for livestock dating back to the mid to late 1800's

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