Vintage and contemporary Native American jewelry available!
An amazing Legacy...
Started in 1970...
Touch of Turquoise
was started in 1970 by Barb Henderson Yoder to bring quality Native American jewelry and art to the Chicagoland area. After living in New Mexico in the 1950's when she was younger, she missed the influence and beauty of turquoise.
In 1976 she and her family moved back to the Southwest and settled in Tucson, Arizona where she continued her business and love of the West. The store in Tucson continued until 2007 on Tanque Verde Road across from Trail Dust Town.
At the age of 72, Barb started an online store and renovated her tack room and feed area in her stables into a private home gallery. Closing her brick and mortar store, she innovated again and made a successful transition to semi-retirement with her jewelry and beautiful turquoise cabochons.
She sold jewelry and turquoise stones until she was 80, spanning nearly 55 years in the industry.
We have taken some archives and photos from her previous web site and used them here.
We want to honor the past and give fuel to the future with all she established!
Traditional, Vintage or Contemporary
Barbara and her husband started a Native American jewelry collection in the late 1950's in Gallup, New Mexico. She loved the turquoise and silverwork; he loved the business connections and saw turquoise and the beautiful traditional jewelry as a business opportunity.
The two of them literally had a lifelong friendship and business partnership with the jewelry and turquoise cabochons...and me.
Passing the torch to the next generation...
Brick and mortar stores have given way in many cases to online commerce. Such was the case with the original owner of the Touch of Turquoise store in Tucson. In her later years, Barb hosted private showings and held occasional “trunk shows,” but for the most part her collection was sold online.
I am proud to say that I’m Barb’s daughter who had the privilege to grow up surrounded by this culturally unique and iconic beauty. I developed a love and respect early on for the Western Americana genre and was especially drawn to the textiles and jewelry of Southwestern Native American artisans.
My husband and I moved away from Arizona when we married (after we both graduated from college). However, many times we would take vacations to visit family in New Mexico and Arizona and enjoy visits to Chaco Canyon, Monument Valley, The Turquoise Trail, and different trading posts in New Mexico and Arizona. As our children were getting older, I gravitated back towards Native American jewelry by assisting my mom with her online presence. Even though we were 1,800 miles apart, the wonder of the internet made our collaboration possible. She and I worked together periodically for many years.
I assisted both my mother and father with their collections during their elder years. It is still hard to type that both of them have now passed on, but their legacy continues through their collection and through me and my husband, Scott. After our children married, we made our way back to Arizona (Phoenix this time) and have enjoyed every minute of reacquainting ourselves with the desert Southwest and everything it has to offer.
With the passing of my parents, I am currently managing their private art collection of museum quality Native American art and artifacts from the American Southwest. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, woven textiles, pottery, basketry and jewelry. Many are one-of-a-kind pieces that were commissioned by the original collectors. In addition to the art, the collection includes a compilation of rare American turquoise cabochons, which are unset.
Since 2017, I’ve worked to authenticate and certify original pieces that are of special significance from the collection. I’ve also worked to arrange for galleries, studios and museums to take irreplaceable items. I have spent the last several years studying my re-found passions of Native American jewelry and textiles and have become passionately interested in turquoise of the American West (and around the world).
Scott and I are now very happy to offer you a full range of Native American-crafted jewelry at all price points, from vintage to contemporary. I am excited to work with up-and-coming artists to bring additional exposure to their creations. And I’m excited to bring American turquoise to the marketplace to showcase its beauty and variety.
Touch of Turquoise invites you to “Wear the West!”
Let us know if we can help you discover your next Native American treasure!
Christine @ Touch of Turquoise
Christine@TouchofTurquoise.com