SANTA FE’S OWN
Wonder of the World Photos Ernest Trujillo
The word that comes to mind upon entering Earthfire Gems Gallery is “wonder.” From ornate gold and silver jewelry to fossils and minerals, the thousands of oneof-a-kind gems and curios from throughout the globe are enough to make one wander the store in wonder.
Broadley was born a gem dealer that day; he started buying and selling gems in India. Eventually, he got swindled, and the experience gave him cause to go back to school and became a gemologist at the Gemological Institute of America. “I have gems from every gem-producing region in the world,” he boasts. The gemologist has been in Santa Fe for 33 years, and has run Earthfire Gems since 1999. He spent 15 years in the Santa Fe flea market in Tesuque before opening his location downtown. Two other gemologists work for Earth Gems in addition to Broadley, as well as two goldsmiths and a silversmith.
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wner Forrest Broadley is a certified GIA gemologist by trade. He has searched the markets of India, Sri Lanka, China, Thailand, Hong Kong, Brazil, East Africa, Australia and Burma for more than 45 years to bring together his eclectic one-of-a-kind collection. Every item in Earthfire Gems Gallery has been
hand-selected by Broadley, making for a museum-quality shop. Broadley got his start in the gem business in a serendipitous way. “Back in the 1960s, I was living in India, guruing and ashram-ing,” he recalls. “One day, I was sitting on a beach in Goa in southern India. A guy came up to me
and asked if I would like to look at some gemstones. I told him to please leave me alone, but he begged me. I said, okay, so he opened up a little gem bag. I don’t even remember what the stone was—something insignificant—but a certain energy shot from my tailbone right up through my head.
Broadley often sells wholesale to people who make, design and collect jewelry. As all his stones are natural (as opposed to plastic or glass), people also come to Broadley to find certain stones with attributable metaphysical properties. He enjoys significant repeat business, and tourists enjoy browsing the phenomenal collection as well. In addition to selling, Earthfire Gems is also a buyer. “I’m a secondary market for anything from grandmother’s
jewelry, old coins, as well as gold, silver and platinum,” Broadley explains. “People ask us questions about their collectibles all the time, and we tell them the truth. We focus on beauty, authenticity and value,” he says. For his knowledge and willingness to educate, Broadley is considered a resource in the gemstone community. Gemology is but one passion the shopowner enjoys; Broadley is also a film actor. His stage name is Forrest Fyre, and he has been in “3:10 to Yuma” (2007), “First Snow” (2006) and “Tiger Eyes” (2012). He just finished filming in three soon-to-be-released movies this past summer. Should you have a hankering to be filled with wonder, there’s no need to travel far and wide. Broadley has done it for you: All you have to do is admire the wonders of the world within his store.
Earthfire Gems Gallery 121 Galisteo St. 505.982.8750. EarthfireGems.com Forrest Broadley