Frequently Asked Questions
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What is Towayalane?
Why password protect the catalog?
Who/what is IACA?
What does it mean to be a Licensed Zuni Trader?
Who are the artists and craftspeople you buy from?
What if I am looking for something not shown in your online catalog?
What is the difference between stabilized and natural turquoise?
Why are there so many different names for turquoise?
What is the difference between Lapis and Denim Lapis?
What is Lab Opal?
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What is Towayalane ?
Towayalane is the Anglicized spelling of the name Dowa Yallane, the mountain pictured above, which is located in Zuni. This was the way Frank Hamilton Cushing first wrote the name when he lived among the Zunis and wrote about them in the early 1880s. The English translation for Dowa Yallane is Corn Mountain, and is a mesa that is sacred to the Zuni people. Today the Zuni people commonly refer to the mountain as D.Y. 
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Why password protect the catalog?
Our catalog is password-protected because we are strictly wholesale dealers. By requiring potential customers to provide us with their business information, including tax identification numbers, we can assure our customers that we are not in competition with their retail sales.
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Who/what is IACA?
The Indian Arts and Crafts Association (IACA) is a not-for-profit organization established in 1974 to support the ethical promotion and protection of authentic Native American art and culture. IACA works to stop fraud and abuse within the market for Indian art through education, publicity, authentication and use of our logo to indicate certified ethical businesses. IACA sponsors the largest wholesale trade shows of handmade Indian art in the world twice a year. Members include Native American artists, wholesale and retail dealers, museums, collectors and others who support the goals of the organization. IACA supports and works for the protection of indigenous art worldwide. (from the IACA website) We have been a supporter of IACA since the 1970s. We had a wholesale booth at the first IACA show in Scottsdale in 1979. Since then, Towayalane Trading Co. has not missed exhibiting our merchandise at either the spring or fall shows. Joe also was a member of the IACA Board of Directors for 13 years, serving as Board President in 1992.
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What does it mean to be a Licensed Zuni Trader?
The Zuni tribe requires those who buy jewelry from tribal members on the reservation to purchase a license annually. The cost of the license is $1000 per year. Only Licensed Zuni Traders may visit artists to purchase their arts and crafts. Most artists work in their homes, so licensed traders are permitted to visit homes to purchase Zuni jewelry and crafts. Towayalane has been a licensed trader for many years and we regularly visit Zuni to buy directly from the artists.
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Who are the artists and craftspeople you buy from?
We buy our top quality handmade arts and crafts from many, many Native American artisans. Towayalane Trading Company buys from artists who make their jewelry by hand within their own homes. Currently our website features the work of more than 130 artists, with many more represented in our stock. We add new artists and their work to the online catalog on a frequent basis. We buy from over 400 different Indian artists and usually have items in stock from most of these craftsmen.
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What if I am looking for something not shown in your online catalog?
We sell many categories of Native American arts and crafts not currently featured on our website. Please contact us at 1-800-790-3542 or email info@towayalane.com if you would like to know more about the arts and crafts available but not yet posted in our catalog.
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What is the difference between stabilized and natural turquoise?
Turquoise is found in many semi-arid regions of the world. It has been a highly prized gemstone for thousands of years. All turquoise mines produce a wide range of quality and beauty. Only about 10% of the total turquoise production of any mine is the highest quality natural "high grade" (cost at $200 per pound and up). Another 30% to 40% is hard enough to use in good handmade jewelry. The bottom 50% of turquoise production (cost at $10 per pound) is soft, usually very light colored and not suitable for use in jewelry. However, by soaking this "chalk" (as it is called in the mining industry) in a clear casting resin (plastic), using heat and pressure, this material becomes more color intense and as hard as plastic. This is called stabilized or "treated". Stabilized turquoise is widely used in Santa Domingo-made heishe, nuggets, and in the carving of Zuni fetishes. Since there is such a great difference in value between natural turquoise and stabilized turquoise, the use of stabilized should always be disclosed. It is required by Arizona State Law for stabilized turquoise to be labeled. We only buy jewelry set in silver or gold that contains natural turquoise. We do sell, and label, stabilized heishe, nuggets and fetishes.
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Why are there so many different names for turquoise?
Turquoise is named by the location or name of the mine where it is produced. Some of the more famous mines (and types of turquoise) are Sleeping Beauty, Landers, Lone Mountain and Turquoise Mountain. Most of these mines are located in different Western states. The majority of Arizona turquoise comes from open-pit copper mines, while mines in New Mexico, Nevada, Colorado are small "pick and shovel" mines which are exclusively for the production of turquoise. Today, the largest source of rough turquoise in the world is mainland China. Much of today's Navajo jewelry is made with Chinese turquoise because of its hardness and beautiful colors. However, Chinese turquoise (like other forms) is often stabilized and you should ask whether the merchandise contains natural or stabilized turquoise. Everything we sell that contains stabilized is labeled. Any turquoise we sell set in silver or gold is natural and not stabilized.
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What is the difference between Lapis and Denim Lapis?
Lapis lazuli is a navy blue gemstone that at present is found only in Afghanistan, Chile and in a very small deposit in the Colorado Rockies. By far, the major source of high quality lapis is Afghanistan. Lower grade lapis comes from Chile and Afghanistan and is pale blue in color with white specks. This is often referred to as "denim lapis". Lapis is a very hard stone and difficult to polish. A plastic imitation of lapis is on the market. It is very shiny and may have hard pieces of metal in it to represent the pyrite found in natural lapis. (We carry only natural lapis in our jewelry.)
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What is Lab Opal?
Natural opal is mined in many places around the world, although most of the finest gem quality opal is found in Australia. Fine natural opal can be extremely expensive (similar in price to diamonds) and is most frequently set in gold. "Lab" opal is a synthetic (man-made) product that has the appearance of quality opal but is much less expensive and therefore much less valuable. Because "Lab" opal has the colors of "fire" imitating natural opal, it is often set and silver and appeals to the public. Towayalane Trading Co. carries only natural opal set in 14 karat gold. We carry no "Lab" opal at all.
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