Shop Talk

Keeping the Human Element at the Heart of the Brand

Americans, but not all of them, “so we don’t call it a Native American jewelry store,” Shepardson says. “It’s Southwestern jewelry.”

Tskies incorporates elements of mass production in its Signature line sold online and in the store. The Signature line, which Shepardson designed, “is our bread and butter and what pays the bills,” making it possible for Tskies’ artists to work in their spare time on their own handmade jewelry, which is also sold in the store. Tskies’ live shows also feature and sell the work of independent jewelry artists.

As he’s explaining the business, Shepardson pauses to greet a man who enters the store. “What have you got for us today?” he asks. The man produces a pair of silver belt buckles. Shepardson asks what he wants for them, then has a check made out for that amount.

“Really, at the core of everything, is that what’s more important than making a profit is art and culture,” Shepardson says. “Whenever we’re making any type of business decision here, we always think, ‘how is this supporting artists, how is this supporting human creativity, how is this supporting New Mexico and our culture here in the Southwest?’ And as long as we do that, we’re going to differentiate ourselves from all the other brands.”

Growing up in Aztec, Shepardson always admired the work of Native American friends who were jewelry artists. “I really liked jewelry and I started learning from the silversmiths in my area—very traditional styles. And I also started getting into turquoise, learning about what was valuable and collectible.”

Shepardson went on to get his MBA, then worked in digital marketing. He de-

PHOTOS BY DON JAMES/ATM

signed a website featuring his blog, Turquoise Skies, that he used as an example to gain his first marketing customers.

Meanwhile, the price of silver had skyrocketed following the recession of 2009. Knockoff jewelry of imitation turquoise and lower-grade silver flooded the market. Shepardson’s jeweler friends were suffering. So, he began featuring them on his website to educate consumers about authentic handmade jewelry.

Interest grew in the blog, then called Tskies, and people began asking to buy the jewelry. As demand increased, Shepardson put a store on the website.

“People would buy a piece and say, ‘Can you make me 10 of these?’ and I’d say, ‘No, these are one-of-a-kind handmade pieces. We don’t manufacture,’” Shepardson re