09.09.2024 Get Your Kicks on Route 66

Last month my husband and I went to Santa Fe...it was very different from the other trips I've written about over the years in a couple of significant ways...

Outside our room at the El Rey

- we drove - we almost always fly (generally because we are going to one coast or the other),

- it was just the two of us (usually I'm playing travel agent and cruise director),

and (not that I don't love seeing my family and friends) it was absolutely delightful!

We stayed at the El Rey Court, located on historic Route 66; it was a lot of fun...they had a nice pool, great pop up dining and tolerated us old folks hanging out among the hipsters.

We were there for a week, which gave us plenty of time to visit museums, walk around the Plaza and on Canyon Road, eat lots of wonderful food - and of course - shop for jewelry.  No surprise, I came home with a number of wonderful souvenirs (since this is ostensibly a jewelry blog, I'm going to write about those).

Navajo pearls from Malouf on the Plaza

I knew I would be able to find lots of silver - which made me very happy because I'm a white metals gal - and I had two items on my souvenir wish list: Navajo pearls and a spiny oyster pendant.

I started on the Plaza, where there are two famous jewelry stores and one of them - Malouf's - is where I found my Navajo pearls.

Navajo pearls are not that hard to find - but they are often large and heavy - and I was looking for a smaller (preferably) graduated strand.  Mitzi at Malouf's was wonderful and quickly put her hands on exactly what I was looking for.

The strand is just over 20 inches long, and the perfect length and size for layering.

While walking around the Plaza I also found a lovely shop with stones and vintage jewelry, and acquired a composite oval (which will become a pendant) and a sweet pair of vintage squash blossoms that I've turned into earrings.

The other two finished pieces I brought home came from artist vendors at the Railyard (also home to a fabulous farmer's market - although I didn't buy anything perishable).

The artists actually outnumbered the produce vendors - I had an absolutely wonderful time walking through all the booths and talking to the jewelers.

I  found the spiny oyster pendant first. 

PM Walsh spiny oyster pendant

I was looking for this particular stone because I have several pairs of earrings - including this pair (a souvenir from a previous trip, acquired at Santa Fe on the Strand in Galveston) but I wasn't wearing them very often.

Pablo Walsh had a gorgeous display of both cast and fabricated pieces - including an array of heart pendants - for which I have a soft spot. We had a delightful conversation about his work (he spent time working in Dallas in fine jewelry), the difference between Texas and New Mexico, the the joy of making.

Kathy Burhans chain

I wore the pearls and pendant layered while we were in Santa Fe, and once we got home, I was even more delighted to see how well both pieces work with the earrings!

The second market purchase (I guess you could say even without produce, I had a good #MarketHaul) was a beautiful chain featuring alternating oval and twisted barbell links, finished with patina.

After completing my trombone link chain, I've developed an eye for interesting chain - and this one was just to good to pass up (I spent some time talking to Kathy Burhans, the metalsmith, walked away, then went back to buy it.)

We did much more than shop - but I always love to highlight makers I meet when we travel. I'm now following them on social media and hope you will, too.  Although we covered a lot of ground, there are many things we didn't get to in a week, and we're already talking about a return trip.

Last, but not least - we did pull over at a Texas stop sign, because (to quote my father) "it's not a road trip without a Blizzard."

Until next time.