Terms and Conditions

Last Monday afternoon a young couple walked into Twin Rocks Trading Post.  I greeted them and struck up a casual conversation with the fellow.  The woman made a beeline for the rug room.  The guy was thirty-something years of age, small of stature and skinny, weighing in at somewhere around 140 lbs.  The thin man wore a gray, unlabeled ball cap on a head of straight brown hair that hung down over his ears.  Bright, intelligent brown eyes peered out from behind tortoise shell glasses, which sat atop an unobtrusive nose.  The young man was well tanned and wore a gray tank top, cut-off Levi shorts and over large hiking boots with wool socks poking out the top.  I asked if they had been hiking, and he commented they were fresh from a week of camping in the Maze district of Canyonlands.

Navajo Red Mesa Outline Rug - Bessie Coggeshell (#48)

The woman was small as well, maybe 110 pounds, had a light complexion and did not seem to have been camping at all.  She kept her black hair short, and had on large black rimmed glasses which framed a pair of big, blue eyes.  She wore a short pink sweater over a clean white blouse and a crisp pair of belted black knit trousers.  The only thing I could identify that connected her with camping and her traveling partner was a similar pair of hiking boots and wool socks.  As the man and I talked, I noticed he was a bit edgy.  The young woman was obviously enjoying her visit to the rug room and had several weaving's laid out on the floor to facilitate a more unobstructed view.

The man soon became so agitated he lost track of our conversation.  Breaking away, he turned and walked over to the bat-wing doors, leaned in toward the young woman and whispered what seemed to be an urgent message.  The woman was unmoved by his duress, and continued her inspection.  I looked over to Priscilla, who was cleaning and rearranging the fetish case.  We smiled knowingly, we had seen this type of behavior many times before.  As sales people we are attuned to body language.  Through his actions the man was saying; "We don't need a rug, it's time to go."  The woman, on the other hand, obviously meant to stay and consider the possibilities.

Sitting back, I waited patiently, figuring it was best not to get in the middle of these two featherweights.  The possibility of being caught in the cross-fire was all too real.  Generally disagreements like this work themselves out one way or another without our direct involvement.  In this case the little woman simply ignored her companion's agitation and kept shopping.  Before long I noticed her focusing on one particular weaving.  I did not want to barge in, but out of self interest thought it time to say a few words on behalf of the rug.  After all, this is a business.  As I approached the rug room, the man crossed his arms over his chest, a clear sign he was unhappy with my intrusion.  The woman turned, smiled pleasantly and asked what I could tell her about the weaving.   I looked to her friend, who promptly turned his back on me.  I had no problem reading the intent of that maneuver.

 "Please," said the girl, recapturing my attention.  She had picked out a wonderful rug woven by Bessie Coggeshell, an acclaimed artist famous for weaving Red Mesa rugs.  This particular pattern is known to represent the power, might and . . . yes . . . even magic of the female gender.  As the story goes, when the Hero Twins of Navajo legend were waging war against marauding monsters, they stumbled upon the Red Mesa area of Dinetah.  Seeing something totally foreign to them, they attacked and, consequently, got their (thus far undefeated) butts kicked.  The twins dragged their thoroughly battered selves back home and shared their despair with their mother.  Changing Woman calmed their nerves, cleansed their wounds and clued them into the fact that female energy was not to be taken lightly.  The "monster" the Hero Twins met was no monster at all, just a misunderstood source of power.

Bessie Coggeshell weaves a wonderful version of the Red Mesa rug and my young customer was wanting the one she had in her hands.  That particular weaving had a powerful mix of colors placed upon a white background.  It did not take much for me to share my enthusiasm for the rug and Bessie's outstanding weaving abilities.  I could tell the young woman was sold, but her friend was not.  The girl turned to him and asked, "What do you think?"  "I think we should talk about it," he replied while heading for the door.  "We'll be back." said the girl as she followed suit.

"Well, that was uncomfortable," I said to Priscilla, "Do you think they'll be back?"  "I don't know," she replied, "He was not impressed."  "With me or the rug?" I pressed.  "Both!" replied our understated associate.  Thirty some odd minutes later the young man walked back into the trading post, pressed into the rug room and picked up Bessie's rug.  Walking right by me, he handed the weaving to Priscilla, saying, "We'll take it!"  These were his terms and conditions of the sale.  I suspect he, like the Hero Twins, had experienced the power of female energy.

With warm regards,
Barry, Steve and The Team

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The Most Interesting Thing in the Store

Last week an attractive middle-aged woman came wondering into the trading post.  Having completed an exhaustive investigation of the merchandise, she asked, “What is the most interesting thing in the store?”  Although Barry and I have been asked many times to identify the most expensive item, this was a slightly new twist, one I thought might indicate a deeper understanding of our mission.  To let her know I was not taking the inquiry lightly, and was indeed giving it sufficient thought, I hesitated a few seconds, cocked my head to the right and scrunched my nose.

Navajo Corn Spirit Basket Set - Elsie Holiday (#231)

Although I considered answering in the typical way, by pointing out an Elsie Holiday basket set, something stopped me and I began thinking there might be a better response.  She had asked a subjective rather than objective question, and that gave me more options.  Carefully weighing the consequences of my reply, and deciding to proceed whatever they turned out to be, I said, “You.”  Barry gasped, obviously thinking I had either become even more infatuated with myself or just plain loco.  Not wanting to get dragged into the fray, Priscilla just smiled.  The woman seemed unaffected, apparently realizing I posed no imminent threat.

Instead of worrying that I was trying to pick her up, or that there was a page missing from my novel, the woman seemed to sense something more than blatant stupidity was at play.  Barry, having spent all too many years observing my ever increasing eccentricities, was not yet convinced that was the case.  Not wanting to make the woman uncomfortable, or take any more chances than absolutely necessary to make my point, I added, “While the art in this joint is fascinating, it is the people who make that art and the customers who buy it that most interest me.”  When she looked intrigued, I continued, “Like the old Coors beer commercial, it’s the people, and a lot more.  You remember the one, ‘It’s the water and a lot more.’”  She shook her head in acknowledgment.  Thinking the danger might be subsiding, Barry breathed an audible sigh of relief.

A day at Twin Rocks Trading Post is like a day at the Museum of Natural Humanity; there is no end to the display of people who enter and exit these Kokopelli doors.  The trading post is an ever evolving, interactive exhibit, every hour brings something new and interesting.  Barry and I don’t care whether they are red, yellow, black or white; tall or small; wide or narrow; beautiful or more beautiful, we love them all.  We are always excited to hear their stories.  Whether it is the basket makers with their creative juggernaut and endless familial and financial challenges, or the customers with their tales of exciting travel and adventure, Barry and I cannot disguise our enthusiasm and emotion.

There are times we think our hearts will break at the tales of spousal abuse, infidelity, alcoholism, accident and premature death.  There are also times when we think they will burst with pride when a student graduates, a healthy child is born or an extraordinary basket, rug or folk carving is brought in.

Correspondingly, we can talk for hours to visitors from Europe, the Americas, China, Japan and countless other places around the globe.  We have become adept at identifying regional dialects and can generally distinguish a person’s place of origin after only a few sentences.  Often we have heard so much about a particular location we feel we have already visited.

Barry and I explained all this to the woman, who began to feel genuinely comfortable with my initial comment.  As the discussion wound down, she thanked us for the conversation and turned to go.  Looking back as she exited the door, she gave me a sexy wink and said, “Olympia.”  Noting the confused and frightened look on my face, the woman explained, “It was Olympia, not Coors.”  Barry smirked, and Priscilla just smiled.

With warm regards,
Steve, Barry and The Team

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Treated? Not Here!

In 1976 I became a full time Indian trader.  Right after graduating high school I joined my parents in the family business, which began my extensive training in Trading-Postology.  As a result, one of my primary interests was the precious stones used in Native American jewelry.  To better understand the subject, I took extension classes from the Gemological Institute of America in Santa Monica, California, eventually becoming a Graduate Gemologist.  During that period I had the opportunity to study diamonds, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and almost every other precious and semi-precious gem on the planet.  The one I found most interesting, and the one I acquired a true passion for, was turquoise.  Because they view turquoise as pieces of heaven gifted to them by the gods, Navajo people refer to it as Skystone.  To them, turquoise is a reminder of the Sky World's beauty.

Southwest Gem Grade Burnham Turquoise Necklace - Bruce Eckhardt (#17)

As I became more familiar with turquoise, I learned of the stone's numerous sources and the common characteristics of particular deposits.  I became fascinated by the lore and legends associated with the Bisbee mine, the #8 claim, the Lander Blue "hat" mine, Blue Gem from Battle Mountain, Morenci, Cripple Creek, Carico Lake and so many others.  The characters involved in turquoise mining were oh so colorful as well.  Old timers like Rita J. Hapgood, Lee Hand, the Edgar family, Dowell Ward, Orvil Jack and Clyde Wright were better than fiction.   When it comes to miners, modern day marvels the likes of Tony Cotner, Ernie Montoya, Bruce Woods and the Oddisons keep the "infamous character" moniker alive and well.  Background appeals to me greatly, but it is the unique nature of each individual stone, its color and texture, that keeps me engaged.  The intrigue of high-grade, natural turquoise, the satiny luster of sterling silver and the warmth of gold is what sparks my passion for Skystone.

In the 1970s, "gem-grade" turquoise was both readily available and reasonably priced.  Rumor had it Gilbert Ortega was paying $1.00 a carat for lavender Lander Blue turquoise.  That was thought to be an "outrageous" price, although presently it commands $250.00 a carat.  The cost of most cut stones was ten to fifty cents per carat.  Turquoise editions of Arizona Highways set the standard for excellence.  Silver was $6.00 an ounce, and Navajo and Hopi silversmiths were making a good living working for $7.00 per hour.  Life was good, business was great, and I had found my calling.  At this point in the story I should be saying that my parents and I were buying up all the "high-grade" we could get our hands on and packing it away in a Wells Fargo safe.  Unfortunately, I was not much of a visionary and did not do so.  As with all natural resources, there is a time when they begin to dissipate, and for turquoise that began long ago.  In hindsight, I shoulda', woulda', coulda' been more insightful.

The point of this tale is that "gem-grade", "high-grade" and "top-grade" turquoise has become a rare and valuable commodity.  From the miners we learn that, right or wrong, the Bureau of Land Management is becoming harder and harder to satisfy.  Permits, bonding and oversight are extremely restrictive, especially for small mining operations.  High fuel costs reverberate through all aspects of our lives, and affect everything from equipment to food costs.  We know that only one percent of what miners recover is gem-grade.  This "top end" turquoise is where most of the value lies.  The next eight to ten percent is commercial quality, and the remaining ninety some-odd percent is too soft, of poor color, chalky, all of the above or just plain junk, which must be treated, stabilized or altered in order to recover mining costs.  Additionally, because copper, silver and gold are found in association with turquoise, and are in huge demand, turquoise has become a mere by-product which is too troublesome to worry about.  Big mining companies want to quickly blow up, load up and deliver up their ore to the smelter, and this does not coincide with the hunt and peck manner of turquoise mining.  Correspondingly Skystone has fast become a nascence by-product that is not worth the effort to sort out and save.

Because the top grades of turquoise are becoming so rare, Steve and I are bombarded with efforts to promote treated, stabilized and otherwise enhanced stones.  Treated and stabilized turquoise has been around since some guy standing over a campfire realized he could dip his beads in a vat of fatty liquid and enhance the color of his necklace.  I personally prefer the natural, and at Twin Rocks Trading Post that is what we stick with.  Because of the ever decreasing supply of natural turquoise, we have begun to see a real push for the acceptance of enhanced material.  The problem is that Steve and I are not fans of unnatural turquoise, and don't even get us started on the faux stuff.  We realize there is a time and a place for such things, but prefer it not be our time or our place.  Natural, high-quality turquoise may not be easy to get, heck, it never was.  When we do find it and place it in a complimentary setting, however, the good stuff really shines.  Due diligence and a passion for top-end turquoise has allowed us to keep the store stocked with an altogether incredible inventory and has kept me passionate about Skystone.

With warm regards,
Barry, Steve and The Team

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