New Mexico Jewish LinkPublished by the Jewish Federation of New Mexico

The Jewish silversmith behind Pueblo Market hamsas

At Pueblo Markets in New Mexico, a Jewish silversmith’s hamsa jewelry sits within a lively display of Pueblo pottery, turquoise-set silver, woven textiles and painted imagery. The palm-shaped pieces carry a protective symbol associated with Jewish life and wider Middle Eastern traditions, while the setting places them beside work rooted in the sovereign communities of the Pueblos.

For an Australian reader, this is a useful meeting of two kinds of making: an intimate Jewish devotional object and the highly developed silversmithing traditions of the Southwest. The silversmith’s work is notable less for novelty than for clarity. Sterling silver is cut, chased and finished by hand, giving each hamsa a slightly individual surface. Its importance becomes clearer when the object is separated from the market display and understood through its materials, maker and story.

A recognisable hand in a crowded marketplace

The silversmith works in small batches from a New Mexico studio, producing necklaces, earrings and pendants rather than long, uniform production lines. Their hamsas have open palms, articulated fingers and darkened lines that make the form legible even at a distance. Small variations in the chased patterns and polished surfaces reveal the hand process involved.

Point of comparison This Jewish silversmith’s hamsas Other jewellery often seen at Pueblo markets
Cultural frame A protective hand used in Jewish and other Middle Eastern traditions Work may express Pueblo identity, family history, community or place
Materials Predominantly sterling silver, with occasional stones or textured finishes Silver may be paired with turquoise, coral, shell or other materials
Making method Cutting, filing, chasing, soldering and hand finishing Methods vary widely, including hand fabrication, stamping and casting
Buying question Who made it, and what does the hand represent here? Is this the maker’s own work, and which community is connected to it?

This silversmith is careful about how the hamsa is presented. It is not positioned as a generic “Southwestern” charm, nor is it treated as a substitute for Pueblo jewellery. The hand has its own history, and its presence beside turquoise, silver and woven designs creates a cross-cultural setting without erasing the differences between them.

From sheet silver to a working amulet

The making begins with flat sterling silver sheet. The palm is drawn to establish the proportions, then cut with a jeweller’s saw. Fingers are separated, edges are refined and the central lines are chased or stamped. Soldering joins the components before the surface is oxidised, polished and selectively brightened so the raised details catch the light.

A 925 stamp identifies an alloy as 92.5 per cent silver, while a personal maker’s mark identifies the studio or artisan. The two marks serve different purposes and should not be confused. A piece may also be described as hand-finished rather than entirely handmade if some components were cast or machine-prepared before being assembled and finished.

New Mexico’s Jewish community provides a wider setting for this work. The city’s religious life is visible in Santa Fe’s expanding eruv, which makes Sabbath observance easier for some local families. That story exists alongside the commercial life of workshops, galleries and tourist markets, where objects often travel far beyond the communities that inspired them.

Why the hand speaks across cultures

The hamsa is commonly described as a protective hand, while the term also appears in the Arabic khamsa and traditions connected with the word hamsa, meaning “fifth.” It has appeared as a protective emblem in Jewish communities for centuries and is also used in Muslim and other Middle Eastern contexts. Its meanings have always depended on the community, period and maker rather than on a single fixed interpretation.

Designs may point upward or downward, and explanations vary. One direction has been associated with warding off misfortune, while another is linked in some traditions with blessing and prosperity. A blue eye, an Arabic inscription, a Hebrew letter or a Jerusalem motif can also alter how a piece is understood. These differences make conversation with the maker more reliable than decoding an image from a photograph.

At a Pueblo market, that conversation can extend beyond the customer’s own tradition. The silversmith’s hamsa may prompt questions from visitors, while the surrounding jewellery offers a new audience for the maker’s interpretation of the hand. The exchange works best when neither object is reduced to decoration. A hamsa can be a personal talisman, a gift, a marker of Jewish continuity or a well-made silver form; Pueblo-market jewellery can likewise hold cultural, artistic and familial significance.

An Australian market guide to the Southwest

Australian shoppers encounter craft markets in several different settings. Melbourne’s Rose Street Artists’ Market fills inner-city streets with rows of white awnings, while Adelaide Central Market places craft stalls beside food counters and specialist produce halls. Sydney’s The Rocks Markets operate within a heritage precinct where weekend foot traffic changes the character of the narrow streets. Each has a different atmosphere, but the practical rhythm remains familiar: browse the stalls, compare the work and allow time to examine the smaller pieces.

Payment and bargaining also follow recognisable Australian patterns. Card payments and cash are both common, and many jewellery stalls display a fixed price rather than invite haggling. Australian sales talk is often relaxed: “no worries” offers reassurance, while “not at all” is a friendly refusal. Neither expression supplies information about the maker, so a direct question such as “Is that 925 sterling, and who made it?” is entirely appropriate.

Australian shoppers are accustomed to “made in Australia” carrying a specific meaning; being sold in Australia does not mean something was made there. That distinction matters just as much in New Mexico. “Pueblo” refers to distinct sovereign communities and cultural traditions, not a catch-all style. The legal and ethical questions are different from those surrounding Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander art in Australia, but the basic buying principle is shared: provenance should be stated rather than inferred from turquoise, silverwork or a market location.

A careful buyer’s checklist

For jewellery offered across state borders or through an online seller, a short period of due diligence protects both the buyer and the maker. Several details are worth checking before money changes hands.

These checks need not make the purchase clinical. They help a buyer appreciate the decisions behind the object: the choice of silver, the shaping of the palm, the cultural meaning of the hand and the relationship between the workshop and the market stall.

A lasting silver record

The Jewish silversmith’s hamsas matter because they bring a recognisable Jewish emblem into a marketplace built around many cultural traditions. Their value is not simply that they look unusual beside turquoise and Pueblo silverwork. It lies in the visible handwork, the layered history of the hamsa and the opportunity each piece creates for a respectful exchange about faith, place and material.

A good purchase can preserve that context long after the market visit ends. The most practical next step is to photograph the maker’s mark, the 925 stamp and the receipt before taking the piece home.