SkyStoneTrading.com is owned and operated by

Julia Audrey in Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

Quick Links:    

BACKGROUND     PURPOSE     IN THE PRESS     eBay   

ASSOCIATIONS     GUARANTEE    SECURITY    ACMA

NEW ARTISTS    TESTIMONIALS    PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Thank you for visiting my web site and taking the time to read this about  page. Skystone has been an online business for twelve years specializing in fine turquoise silver jewelry. It began in 1998 in Ketchum, Idaho, on  with Zuni fetishes and Native American jewelry left over from the brick-and-mortar store's going out of business sale. All the pieces sold in six weeks, so a trip to the Southwest was required. After about eight trips back and forth between Idaho and New Mexico every two months, I moved to Santa Fe and have been here since 1999.  There is no retail storefront in town, and paper catalogs are not available.  I've been a member in good standing with SWAIA and IACA for at least ten years, both associations promoting and preserving the authenticity of Native American art and jewelry.  While Skystone started out specializing in unique Zuni Fetishes carved from rare, high-grade materials, the business has been carrying mainly jewelry since 2005.

the early, early days of the biz                          Original website design

BACKGROUND

Way back in the 1980's I received an Assoc. Science in Computer Information Systems from El Camino Comm. College in Los Angeles learning how to program mainframes with languages like Basic and C.  My background has always involved working with people, usually in some form of sales, with a few detours at  pre-med and acupuncture college in Santa Monica, Calif.,, running my own watch store in Ketchum, Idaho and other endeavors that were challenging but not bu fulfilling enough to keep me interested for very long.  In many respects, Skystone created itself, and I was just along for the ride.  It has been my blessing, like coming home; I finally knew what I wanted to do when I grew up.  Too bad there wasn't 'turquoise trader' as an option on career day in high school...

When not maintaining the website, taking photographs or dealing directly with the artists, I am outside with my three fur-babies, skiing Taos after a fresh snowfall, enjoying the live music scene here in town, reading and whenever possible, (which hasn't very often lately), seeking out a warm ocean beach since that's the one thing Santa Fe lacks. 

Leader of the Pack - My little pack is always close by.  Nikki, (above right) a Labrador-looking mix, , was adopted Sept. 2009, and is now one and a half years old.  (DNA said she was 12% each Chow, Rottweiller and Boxer, no other breeds had enough DNA to detect. Put about 20 breeds together and you get a black-lab looking puppy I guess.)  Her favorite thing is running off trail and being chased. 

The little guy is Tank (left). A Lhaso-Apso/Poodle mix that I  adopted in July of 2010.  He's one and a half years, a 15 pound fluffy bundle of sweetness, snuggles and adorableness. Mr. Mellow, he's up for whatever is happening, and will romp, chase and play with the big dogs. 

When they're not sleeping, at the real dog park or watching my every move, they're playing with, chasing or grooming each other. They LOVE to go for rides in the car.  So fun!  The pups were found on Petfinder.com and adopted from shelters - an amazing resource for matching people with their next best friend.  

PHILOSOPHY   

  

PRESS RELEASE: "Passionate about turquoise, SkyStonetrading.com specializes in the finest, rarest turquoise in the world. Always natural, each piece is unique, reflecting the wide range of exotic colors and webbing characteristic of historic American turquoise mines. Most people outside of New Mexico have never seen turquoise such as this. Native-made, hand-made, sterling silver jewelry from Santa Fe, New Mexico."

The Internet is first and foremost about building relationships, even getting personal sometimes,  That is what I love most about it.  The friends I've made over the years and the interesting people I've met.  Turquoise is personal, and the type of turquoise I deal in is one of kind. It's as special as the people who wear it.  True.  Treating people well while being fair, truthful and respectful is not only a good way of going about life, but makes for good business as well.  The pictures and descriptions are there to give you every reason to say yes, or no, to a piece. Shown from every angle, as well as modeled,  you know what to expect, with no unwelcome surprises.   I want you to be from happy and satisfied to ecstatically overwhelmed at the quality, wearability and specialness of the jewelry you receive gift-wrapped from Skystone.  And I want you to feel special. 

I'm not a gemologist, just someone who loves the energy around turquoise and the people who are attracted to it. I learned the business from old-school turquoise traders and long-time jewelers, asked a lot

of questions, did research all the while exposed to some of the finest turquoise available in the world. After all these years, these same contacts continue to be my friends, teachers and the main source of the turquoise offered here.  

 

The website you're on is brand new as of October 2010 and will be continually evolving.  The blog will be up soon, new pages will be added (coming soon, one of my favorite topics and one I've never addressed: "The Spiritual Aspects of Turquoise"  and last but not least, exquisite natural stones in one-of-a-kind jewelry that makes you drop your jaw... well, that's what I'm trying for...  I hope you'll check in to see what's new when you have the time. 

 

  

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PURPOSE

To increase awareness of the rarity, beauty and magic of high-grade natural American turquoise.

This website is dedicated to the 'sky stone': natural, high-grade American turquoise from such pedigreed mines as Bisbee, Morenci, Cerrillos, Blue Gem, Carico Lake, Kingman and the list goes on... The jewelry you see is carefully hand-selected for the quality of the stones, silversmithing and overall design. They are handmade by the most talented Navajo, Zuni, Santo Domingo, Hopi artists working today in addition to showcasing the exciting Anglo jewelers producing in the Southwest today.  The stones in most of the jewelry pieces are one-of-a-kind and cannot be duplicated. 

 

 

Turquoise can be enjoyed and appreciated on a number of levels, from wanting to wear it and no more, to learning about the amazing range of character, quality and color that is found in this gift from Mother Earth.  It is uplifting and calming to wear.  It is a stone of blessings, protection and healing. The more you know about it, the more interesting it is, and it can take a lifetime to learn all there is. Turquoise is a finite material, and mining today is an expensive, risky undertaking. At least 99% off all turquoise mined needs to be treated in some way to be useful. Only 3% of the turquoise you see on the market is American, the rest comes from China and Iran.

 

The 1% of natural, gem-grade American turquoise you see on the website is mainly from mines long closed or no longer in existence. The one of a kind stones come from old collections belonging to miners, dealers and rock hounds and when it's gone, it's gone. It cannot be overstated how rare and soon to be extinct this material is.

 

Take a quick tour of the About Turquoise Page, it's like visiting a virtual turquoise museum.

 

There's just something about this turquoise that you once you see, feel and wear it, you'll say 'so that is what it is all about.' Turquoise chooses you: listen for the piece that calls to you. It is an intangible, personal thing we respect so if you need to return or exchange something, it's no biggie, that just means you haven't found the right one yet. Every piece was made for somebody.

PRODUCT PLACEMENT

Skystone Trading is available for product placement. We have provided jewelry for photo shoots done by country band Diamond Rio and the Wall Street Journal. Please inquire about the possibilities. The above grouping of jewelry is what was put together for a shoot by French Vogue Magazine here in Santa Fe in September of 2010.  The article was on Tom Ford (designer/director)  and Tom decided at the last minute not to go with turquoise with this particular shoot so it didn't go to print with our jewelry, but we got close!  to top

ASSOCIATIONS

SWAIA The Southwestern Association for Indian Arts - Skystone is a Benefactor of SWAIA. SWAIA’s mission is to be an advocate for Native American arts and cultures (particularly those in the Southwest), and create economic and cultural opportunities for Native American artists by: Producing and promoting the Santa Fe Indian Market as the finest Indian art event in the world Cultivating excellence and innovation across traditional and non-traditional art forms Developing programs and events that support, promote, and honor Native artists year-round. more

Indian Arts & Crafts Association - Established in 1974, The Indian Arts and Crafts Association (IACA) is a not-for-profit organization with an international membership of artists, retailers, wholesalers, museums, associations, government agencies, collectors and individual supporters -- all working together to promote, preserve and protect the arts and cultures of the American Indian. more

 Better Business Bureau of New Mexico Skystone has been an Accredited Business with an A+ Rating with BBB of NM since 2004. Check out our business profile.      to top 

eBay AUCTIONS AND FEEDBACK

SkyStoneTrading.com has been an established seller on eBay since 1998.  We've had over 3400 auctions with many repeat buyers and have a 100% Positive Feedback rating. We still hold auctions every once in awhile, and if that is the case , there will be a category showing ongoing auctions on this website.  to top

SECURITY

SSL CERTIFICATE  - Security is taken seriously and we utilize the most secure encryption available when you're sending information to our website.  Your credit card information is broken up and kept in two separate places, both password enabled.  You have the option at checkout to allow us to keep your card on file or not, and we respect your choice.

AUTHORIZE.NET  - I have been a merchant processing credit cards since 1985 with no charge-backs. I use the payment processor Authorize.net, known for it's security and safety. More than 305,000 merchants trust them for payment processing and online fraud prevention solutions. 

PRIVACY POLICY      We will never, under any circumstances, share or sell your information, with anyone, for any reason.    

 GUARANTEE

We have an UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE - NO QUESTIONS ASKED RETURN POLICY . If you are not happy, for any reason, just return it within ten days for a FULL REFUND less any shipping costs.  Please let us know by email or phone if you are sending a return so we can expect it.

NOTE: Returns on sale items and items purchased using the layaway plan receive website credit. We cannot offer refunds on rings that have been ordered and sized to a custom fit. We are happy to mail the ring to you first for your approval and then have the ring sized at a cost of $20. We have not lost an item in many, many years, in fact this has never come up, but in the case an item is lost during shipment, and the address and label were as directed, we are not responsible once the item leaves our hands and is placed with the shipper.  to top

 WHOLESALE INQUIRIES

Please contact me directly regarding opening up a wholesale account at 505-670-6738.

NEW ARTISTS WELCOME

If you are an artist and would like your jewelry featured on the website, please contact me  by email or at 505-670-6738 to talk about the possibilities.  

May you always have love to share,
friends that care,
health to spare,
and great turquoise to wear!