How to Buy Authentic Native Jewelry

Photograph by Inga Hendrickson.

Did you know that of jewelry marketed across the US as being made by Native artists, approximately 50-80% is counterfeit?

This practice is not only harmful to buyers and authentic makers, it’s also illegal: the Indian Arts and Crafts Act states that any person mis-characterizing a piece of jewelry, or other piece of artwork, as Native-made when it is not, (covering anything produced after 1935), has committed a federal offense – a fourth-degree felony.

Below is an article on how to ensure your Native-made purchase is authentic:

https://www.newmexico.org/nmmagazine/articles/post/how-to-buy-authentic-native-jewelry/?fbclid=IwAR0HDsa6XmUhJajB6dEp9Zn4LcGi2gncx0lNStNgpWxhIUDlxhLx2iYQPj8