Durango Silver Company

Fine Durango Colorado Jewelers Since 1972

From Left to Right: John Hartman, Estell Hartman, Dillon Hartman, Nattarika Hartman

Checkout John Hartman's Article in the January 2010 Issue of Lapidary Journal!

Who is Gemstone-Silver-Jewelry.com?

Gemstone-silver-jewelry is a division of Durango Silver Company which was founded back in 1976 by John and Estell Hartman. After years and years of on the road Trading, John Hartman managed to built a marvelous Trading Post just west of Durango Colorado on the Gateway Highway to Mesa Verde National Park from Durango. The Trading Post has grown in time and has become one of the most historic and beautiful Trading Posts in the American Southwest. The Hartman's are some of the leading Durango Colorado Jewelers.

Today, after many years, the children of John and Estell have grown up and they have strong interests in following the footsteps that their parents have spent their lives creating. Dillon Hartman (son) has taken at hand on many areas of the business and keeps adding new age ideas and technologies that allow Durango Silver Co. to excel into this new era of business. This online store was the latest idea from Dillon to expand the family business even further. Nattarika (Dillon's wife) is brilliant, talented and brings new dimensions to the company's business in the world wide web. Crystal (daughter) followed her art interests around the globe and has come back to Durango to express her art and create Jewelry that all Durango Silver Co. is proud of. Every person in the Hartman's family brings a different facet to this diverse family business.

Gemstone-Silver-Jewlery.com is roud to say that Durango Silver Co. is owned entirely by the Hartman family. All the family works hard in conjunction together and enjoy living and working to create original fashion jewelry in what we consider one of the most beautiful places on earth, Durango Colorado.

The trail that John and Estell have made from their past on the Turquoise and Turquoise Jewelry front has led their family to find that this is the dominant factor that has made Durango Silver Company a success to date. Collecting, Mining and dealing in Southwestern Jewelry has prevailed and the outcome of the company is that it became one ofthe very few real authorities on American Turquoise.

As a result to this, the company now finds this great new asset in this business, the Internet! The Internet allows the company to share the wealth of information that the Hartman's Family have acquired from over 40 years of experience in the Turquoise business in the great Southwest. As this website moves forward we will provide all the interested followers with valuable information and authentic Turquoise Jewelry from the original Durango Silver Company and Trading Post, located in Durango Colorado.

We invite you to meet the Hartman's Family:

John Hartman - A 40+ Year Master Gold and Silver Jeweler, Stone Cutter, Turquoise expert, Turquoise miner and Idea Man

John Hartman is a skilled artisan and handyman. He has built custom Harley's, guitar speakers, both of the Log Buildings on the family's property, landscapes and all types of jewelry imagineable.

Previously owned Hartman's of Durango, Canyon Collectors, Global Arts and Durango Internet Resources, LLC

Dillon Hartman - Silver Jeweler, Inlay Jeweler, Graphic Artist, Programmer and Webdesigner, Bead Maker, Stone Cutter, and Turquoise Mine Owner

Dillon Hartman is the next generation of the Durango Silver Co. He is a true gemstone and Turquoise lover and connoisseur. One of Dillon's major goals in the Turquoise and jewelry business is to bring Turquoise out of its current ideology in the US. He wants to bring the knowledge much of the world already has to the US.. Turquoise is not just a Native American stone... it is a worldly stone.

Estell Hartman - Accounting, Sales and Customer Service

Estell Hartman began the family journey in the jewelry business with John Hartman in the early 1970s. Estell and her husband, John, have worked together ever since in several business ventures. Estell was a skilled jeweler specializing in overlay and saw work designs. Estell currently does not craft jewelry... maybe someday we will talk her into creating more jewelry.

Nattarika Hartman - Bead Jeweler, Lost Wax Jewelry Designer, Photographer, Shipping Specialist and Website Input and Sales

Nattarika is the newest addition to the Hartman family and is married to Dillon Hartman. Nattarika is one of our star up and comming jewelers. Make sure you follow her in our site by typing "Nattarika Hartman" in the search box. She is also the nicest lady you could ever speak to over the phone.

Crystal Hartman - Artist, Lost Wax Jewelry Designer and Sales

Crystal received her BFA degree from The University of Colorado at Boulder. Crystal is a master water color artist and a Signature Member of the National Watercolor Society. In 2010 Crystal began to learn to create jewelry as was John Hartman's apprentice. She found her main interest in jewelry making to be lost wax design and carving. Be sure
to follow her by typing "Crystal Hartman" in the search box to the left.

All of our Jewelry is handmade in Durango, Colorado USA using Sterling Silver, 14k, 18k and 24k gold. We use highgrade natural gemstones and specialize in HIGHGRADE NATURAL AMERICAN TURQUOISE. Durango Silver Co. uses every gemstone you can possibly think of and some you may not know.

The company hand makes our jewelry the old fashioned way with Acetylene Plumbers Torches from Sterling Silver or Gold Sheet, Solder and Wire. Durango Silver Co. also hand solders, files, buffs, stamps, chases, reposes, patinas, and polishes all of our jewelry. Part of what we consider the art of our jewelry is that we use the old fasioned methods to make, it may be slower it is true... but it takes a lot more skill. Our speciality is quality rather than just quantity.

Durango Silver Co. DOES NOT USE Cadcam or any other mechanized or computerized techniques to create the jewelry that we sell.

The family hand cuts our Turquoise, Sugilite, Variscite and other Gemstones. This means our company buys or mines our gemstones in the rough, then saw them with a lapidary saw, and after that shapes them on a series of diamond grinding wheels. Finally the item is polished with a super fine grit lapidary powder. Durango Silver Co. does not use templates, or a machine to mass produce matching stones.

We are VERY SERIOUS about our gemstones!

Why Buy from Us?

If you plan to visit Durango, make sure that you visit our Trading Company, it has become one of the most historic trading companies in the Four Corners region. Heading west from Durango towards Mesa Verde National Park, travel about four miles until you see a large log lodge building with a huge arch of deer antlers out front. This arch consists of over 3,600 deer and elk shed antlers from this area. It is an awesome site and you will want to take your pictures here.

Durango Silver Co. is well known worldwide for its southwestern style silver jewelry. You will find very unusual jewelry here that you will not find anywhere else. We have been makers of fine gold and silver jewelry for over 40 years already. Our company is known for our custom gold jewelry in which we use gold nuggets, elk teeth, high grade gold ore and fine stones. We also use beautiful Bisbee Blue Turquoise, Blue Gem Turquoise, Villa Grove, and other rare American Turquoise in our jewelry. We are authorities and major enthusiasts of fine turquoise. The family mines its own Turquoise from the family's mines in Nevada (The Pilot Mountain Mine, Tortoise Turquoise Mine, Haley's Comet Mine, Turquoise Bonanza Mine, Miss Moffet Mine) as well as our friends' mines (Blue Diamond Mine, Carico Lake Turquoise Mine, Damale, Dry Creek, Fox Turquoise Mine, Manassa Turquoise, Royston Turquoise Mine, White Buffalo Mine, Lone Mountain Mine, Sleeping Beauty, Turquoise Mountain, and more).

The Hartman's Family have been jewelers in Durango, Colorado USA for over 30 years. They have been in the Native American art, crafts and memorabilia business for over 40 years. You will find early American Frontier items such as Plains Indian beadwork, stone artifacts, Navajo rugs, baskets, old pawn turquoise jewelry, new Native American jewelry, antique firearms, silver spurs and more!

Testimonials (Customer Feedback)

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The Durango Silver Co Gallery is located just 4 miles west of Durango, Colorado on Hwy 160. This is the road that goes from Durango, Colorado to Mesa Verde National Park. So, we are certainly in your path of travel when visiting Durango, the Durango Train and Mesa Verde National Park.