A Fort Worth Jewelry Store Is Striving for Honesty with Native American Art — Inside Turquoise & Co.

Mallory Blair has been obsessed with rocks since she was a kid. Born and raised in California, she would collect rocks on her way home from doing ranch chores, her pockets always full of interesting stones. It’s no wonder she now owns and operates Turquoise & Co., a Southwestern jewelry store in the Fort Worth Stockyards specializing in Native American pieces made from precious stones and metals.

After moving to Texas for college, Blair began working with a jeweler from New Mexico who would set up his business at Round Top and jewelry shows across the Southwest. One summer, she ran the jeweler’s booth in New Mexico and decided that online sales would benefit the business tremendously. He wasn’t interested in doing that, so she began her own online jewelry endeavor by launching Turquoise & Co.

“I just wanted to sell jewelry and be honest about where it came from,” Blair tells PaperCity.

The Inspiration Behind Turquoise & Co.

Honesty and fair trade are big problems in the world of Native American jewelry, as many sellers often say something is Native-made when it isn’t. There’s also the problem of makers copying Native designs and recreating their own versions to sell at cheaper rates. Numerous jewelers and companies have been called out for their discretions, and consumers are increasingly cautious of buying Native-made products, as they question the seller’s integrity and connections.

“There’s a lot of dishonesty in the industry now,” says Blair. “And we’re one of the few who haven’t been called out. We’re very transparent, and you’ll see on our website if something is Native-made, handmade, or imported.”

Clicking through the website, you can browse each piece Blair has listed. Alongside a description of each piece, which will list whether it is Native-made or imported, you’ll see an Artist Information tab, which gives you info on the artist and their craft, plus stone information and where it’s sourced from.

When I stumbled upon a palomino variscite ring on the site, I quickly found important maker information: “Navajo artisan Carol Wylie has been creating jewelry for over 25 years. Known for her meticulous attention to detail, she ensures that each piece has a uniform and polished appearance. Carol resides on the Navajo reservation in western New Mexico.”

For sourcing, Blair travels to New Mexico every few months to meet with artists and shop some wholesale companies, working with both individual artists and wholesalers. In the case of working with wholesalers, she is purchasing stones and silver that she can then take to artists she knows, who might not otherwise have the money to buy the stones and silver themselves.

“This way, I know the quality of materials I’m getting, plus the stones pass through fewer hands, and artists can focus on making their jewelry rather than having the funds for all of the materials,” she says.

Not every piece in Blair’s collection is Native American-made, but when it is, she is mainly working with Navajo, Santo Domingo, and Zuni artists. “If something is imported, it will clearly state that on the website, or we will tell you in-store.”

Turquoise & Co. is open Tuesday through Saturday 11 am to 6 pm. Appointments are welcome. There’s also a location in Stephenville, Texas. Check out the new Interstate Inn while you’re visting.