Indian jewelry business expands into new location

By Bill Donovan
Staff writer

Supersmith employee Edward Henry makes rings at the new Supersmith location on Maloney Avenue. Henry, who commutes every day from Naschitti, has been working at Supersmith for about eight years and said he prefers the new location because it has better lighting and ventilation. [Photo by John A. Bowersmith/Independent]

GALLUP — Nine years ago, David Rosales and John Delgado decided to get into the business of manufacturing Indian jewelry.

Their idea was simple quality jewelry at fair prices done by Native Americans using designs that were contemporary but also on the cutting edge.

The business grew and they survived the 9/11 tragedy, the dot.com bust, the depressed national economy and, more recently, the increase in fuel prices.

And through all of this, their company, Supersmith Inc., continued to put out thousands of pieces of jewelry every month for sale throughout the world.

Recently, company officials were able to solve one of their biggest headaches a manufacturing facility that was not big enough to meet the needs of the business.

So, during the Thanksgiving holidays, staff at the business spent four days moving from leased space on Bradley Street to a building the company bought on Maloney Avenue that previously was used by Coors Beer as a warehouse. After five months of renovation, the company went from 2,800 square feet to 11,000 square feet feet.

The change made a big difference to the 30 silversmiths hired by the company. Workers like Edward Henry said that the new working environment is definitely brighter with better ventilation.

Much of the Indian jewelry sold around the world is manufactured in places like Supersmith where the company pays a lot of attention to what's selling and what's not selling in the Indian arts and crafts market.

"You have to stay innovative and serve your customers," said Rosales.

This means providing jewelry mostly turquoise that keeps up with the changes in the market. It also means coming up with new designs that will attract not only the customers, but also retail stores that are looking for quality.

"Our lowest prices are about $100," Rosales said, " and we go up to $15,000."

Once you get to the high end, most of that is custom made and Supersmith has had its share of famous clients over the years.

Country western singer Clint Black has a buckle he wears on occasion that was made at Supersmith, but the most visible promotion the company has received so far is on the old Ally McBeal show, whose star, Calista Flockhart, would wear Indian jewelry made at Supersmith on some shows.

The company's work hasn't gone unnoticed.

The Los Angeles Times once did a story about the company, praising its innovative designs that were at the cutting edge of the business.

The designs, Rosales said, are a collaborative effort.

"Everyone is involved," he said. They start off with a basic design and then tweak it a little until finally they come up with a finished product that they hope will find acceptance among Indian arts and crafts lovers.

"It's a fun job," said Delgado, "especially in the creative as opposed to the business side."