Navajo S Silver BISBEE Turquoise Ring S 8 ALEX SANCHEZ

Ebay's new "search experience" called Best Match now decides for buyers what you will and won't see when you're perusing Native American jewelry. Ebay has decided that you would rather see cheap, mass produced jewelry (much of it foreign made and represented as Native American) rather than high quality and/or unique items and intentionally disadvantages the very best items (if you use the Best Match search) by generally hiding the best items in the bottom half of the search pages so that you'll probably never see them. If you want to see the best quality Native American jewelry or any other category of item the way you used to, then you must customize you search setting to "Ending Soonest" which used to be the default search setting before ebay introduced "Best Match." "Best Match" definitely isn't best if you're a collector or a discerning buyer who prefers quality over junk. If you need help to change your default search setting from Best Match to Ending Soonest, contact ebay and they'll help you.

Ten years ago when I first met Alex Sanchez in front of Earl's Restaurant in Gallup, New Mexico, he had two of the most breathtakingly original bracelets I'd seen in years lying alone on a small card table. It was mid August during the Gallup Ceremonial, the sun had set some time ago, and the light was fading fast. I asked him if he sold wholesale, and he said no because he was going to set up the following week at the Santa Fe Indian Market. I did my best to change his mind but failed and wished him well.

I didn't see Alex again for two or three years and often wondered what had happened to this extraordinarily talented young artist because I could never find any of his creatively original work anywhere in Gallup, and no one seemed to have heard of him. When I accidentally ran into him again, it wasn't in New Mexico but surprisingly less than 20 miles from my home. He had traveled all the way from far western New Mexico to far eastern Kansas to sell at one of Haskell University's semi annual Indian Art shows. Haskell is one of top Native American universities in the country and is located in Lawrence, Kansas.

While Alex has lived in Gallup for many years, he has steadfastly refused to sell there because the traders he contacted wouldn't pay his asking price. Instead, he sold to traders in Albuquerque and Santa Fe for the prime prices his work deserves, traveled around the country retailing his work, and then cashed in at the Santa Fe market. Justifiably he saw no reason to have to sell his work for much, much less in Gallup for convenience's sake when he could do his own marketing and make a better living in the process by selling elsewhere.  

Alex's refusal to sell in Gallup, however, recently changed when he found someone willing to pay his asking prices for his elegantly designed and superbly executed original pieces such as this exceptional contemporary overlay sterling silver ring. Buyers can pay deeply discounted ebay prices for his work or substantially higher prices from retailers in Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Taos.

Alex's distinctive overlay work can be best described as contemporary renderings of actual prehistoric petroglyph designs found in ancient ruins throughout the southwest. One of the most famous petroglyph displays can be found on 'newspaper rock' inside the Canyonlands National Park in southern Utah. I've included two photos of part of this ancient rock so you can see for yourself one of the inspirational sources for Alex's work. Each of these designs on this bracelet left a different messages for those who passed by the rock art or petroglyphs. The art told of the presence of game in the area, the weather, of a chance encounter between people or people and animals, the sky, recovering from an illness, and so on.

On the bezel of this size 8 ring, for example, Alex created overlays representing stars, dragonflies, a meandering stream, crossing paths, and coiled suns designs. He created each of these overlaid designs by hand using separate sheets of sterling silver. He then removes and bonds them to the base layer of the 1 and 9/16ths" by ¾" slightly domed bezel which he previously oxidized and reticulated to create its charcoal gray color and sand like texture. This process makes the bezel truly three dimensional. Completing the ring's silver work is an engraved ½" wide shank with five pairs of hand stamped bears.

Currently there's an abundance of Native American jewelry being advertised today with Bisbee turquoise, and frankly most of it isn't. The gorgeous, genuine rare and valuable Bisbee blue freeform stone with a molasses brown vein matrix measures 3/8ths" by 9/16ths." Check the turquoise mine sources off ebay because an informed buyer makes better buying decisions.

A superbly executed design, an extremely attractive stone with great character, and brilliant craftsmanship!

This truly amazing ring retails for $450.00 and up in the southwest.

FREE SHIPPING FOR US ORDERS ONLY -- DISCOUNTED SHIPPING FOR INTERNATIONAL ORDERS. Please see list of excluded countries below BEFORE purchasing.

Payment is expected within seven days of purchase unless you make other mutually agreed on arrangements.

Questions: Questions about this item only, please, from serious buyers only and NO questions that are answered in the product description. Most of the questions I receive have nothing to do with the item or are answered in the product description. I don't accept offers, do free appraisals, free research, put members in touch with artists, sell wholesale, or take custom orders so please don't email me about these issues, out of idle curiosity, or send questions not pertaining to this item. Rudely phrased questions, any offer, weight questions, and questions answered in the product description WILL NOT BE ANSWERED. Members submitting requests for additional discounts or offers may be permanently blocked. Please respect this.

Extra Photos: Please remember that people buy millions of dollars’ worth of products each month in this country from catalogues where generally there’s only one photograph and about three short descriptive lines. Sorry, no additional photos are available for this item.

Making Smart Buying Choices: I am a proud member of the Indian Arts and Crafts Association (IACA) whose members must pledge to sell authentic Native American art and represent it accurately. Only a very, very, very small ebay Native American jewelry sellers have been accepted for membership. If you care whether the jewelry you buy is authentic Native American, please click on the View Seller's Other Items link in the box at the top of the page at right. A substantial percentage of the jewelry offered as Native American is actually made in China, the Philippines, India, Indonesia, the Middle East, Mexico, and elsewhere and then misrepresented as Navajo or Zuni. Two-thirds of all so-called Native American jewelry sold in this country is fake especially in this venue and on the TV shopping networks! Remember, choose wisely. Save for a while if necessary to buy the best pieces you can possibly afford. Don’t just spend money, invest it in good quality items that have possible future investment potential. It's against federal law to misrepresent foreign made jewelry as Native American. Protect this investment and assure the Native American authenticity of your purchases by requiring a Certificate of Authenticity.

Authenticity and Provenance: This is a brand new rather than a previously owned item, and a Certificate of Authenticity guaranteeing its Native American origin is included. The jewelry I sell isn’t stolen, and the artists and traders have been all paid so you needn’t worry about the police knocking on your door or any letters from attorneys. Everything but pawn sterling silver jewelry and stone necklaces are cleaned and polished with tarnish retardant polish before shipping so that it arrives looking sparkling clean and odor free.

U.S. Domestic Shipping: Same day FREE USPS Priority Mail shipping with 2-3 business day delivery, FREE USPS insurance, and FREE delivery or signature confirmation except weekends, holidays, buying trips, family emergencies, or severe weather from a non-smoker on receipt of payment before 3 pm Central Time on business days which ebay considers as Monday - Friday. USPS Express Mail with overnight delivery to most but not all locations available at cost -- price varies by item shape, size, and weight of your purchase(s) -- please email for a quote. I apologize for the following, the new ebay requirements make it necessary: You also agree to pay within the prescribed period of time and, in the event the parcel is lost or damaged, YOU UNCONDITIONALLY AGREE to fulfill USPS requirements or those of the private insurance carrier so that an insurance claim be filed. For USPS claims this includes presenting the box, contents, and damaged item(s) to the Post Office and then sending me a signed USPS claim form. On receipt of the USPS claim form or letter, your entire payment will be immediately refunded in full.

International Shipping: I ship using either USPS International First Class Mail or Express Mail International. Please remember that PayPal REQUIRES trackable shipping for international shipments, and the least expensive USPS trackable shipping method is Express Mail. Cost usually depends on parcel weight and destination so please request a price quote before purchase. A small handling fee will be charged for international orders International buyers UNCONDITIONALLY AGREE to send the insurance company a letter describing the loss or damage when you asked to. If you purchase this item, then you have agreed to a legally binding contract that includes all necessary assistance in filing an insurance claim. On receipt of the USPS claim form or letter, your entire payment will be immediately refunded in full.

International Custom Fees and Duties: Import duties, taxes, and any import fees are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering shipping company or post office -- please do not confuse them for additional shipping charges.

CURRENTLY EXCLUDED COUNTRIES: Sorry, I can NOT currently ship to the following countries because insurance is impossible to obtain except to US military or diplomatic corps with APO/FPO addresses: Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola including Cabinda, Bangladesh, Barbados, Benin, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma/Myanmar, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Chechnia, Congo, Cuba, Czech Republic, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea - Bissau, Hungary, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ivory Coast, Jordan, Kenya, Latvia, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Papua/New Guinea, Paraguay, Qatar, Russia, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Osetia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Yemen. Occasionally insurers add other countries. If I can’t obtain insurance, please understand that I reluctantly will have to cancel your order.

PayPal E-Checks: To keep buyer and seller protection plans intact, PayPal policy prohibits sellers from sending merchandise until they approve all e-checks so shipment will be delayed several days of you pay by e-check. If you want or need immediate shipment, then please use the credit or debit card option with PayPal.

Sales tax: Only Kansas residents must pay Kansas sales tax.

Returns: Sales are not made on an approval basis and you are expected to keep you what you’ve agreed to buy except for major misrepresentation or major defect. Ebay doesn’t refund final value fees to sellers on returns if the buyer didn’t pay with PayPal so this policy varies with specific circumstances. Ebay never refunds listing fees. Returns must be approved in advance and then return shipped insured within 7 business days of receipt at your expense, and the item you received from me must be returned in its original condition or full credit will not be given. Any damaged or altered items will not be accepted. You’ll receive a PayPal or other form of refund (depending on how you paid) for the item less my original actual shipping related charges. Items paid by an alternative payment method and returned will be subject to a restocking fee as ebay will not refund any seller fees on non PayPal transactions.

CORRECT Email Address: Your ISP’s or your email’s spam filter can and sometimes does prevent delivery of many emails. If you don’t hear from me, this is probably why so please don‘t think you’re being ignored because every purchase and payment is acknowledged. If you don’t hear from me, please check your spam/trash directory. Please make sure your current correct email address is registered with both ebay and PayPal to ensure good communications.

© Photos and product description: Photos and description are the intellectual property of this seller, are copyrighted, and you may not use, download, or reproduce them under any circumstances for any reason. Plagiarism (copying and using my text and photos) is illegal -- please respect and obey the plagiarism laws. Thank you.