Saturday, October 16, 2004

Silver city

Independent jewelers,including some shops handed downthrough generations, test their mettle outside of malls

Tucson Citizen

Central Tucson is studded with independent jewelers linked by a love of craftsmanship.

Here are a few:

Carlos Diaz Silversmiths, 2815 N. Campbell Ave., 327-8113, www.carlos-diaz-silversmiths.com

Carlos Diaz said he tried taking more time off from his jewelry shop, but nothing seemed as interesting.

"I like to design and make things for people. It's a lot of fun," said the Colombian-born artist, who first went into business in 1958 at 708 W. Grant Road.

"Carlos will sketch a custom design for a client, and he will create a masterpiece from that," said his stepdaughter, Maria Creighton, who helps run the store.

"And besides, he's charming. That's why business is good. We always are busy."

Custom fabrication with silver, gold and sometimes platinum is the first line of the business, Diaz said. In high demand these days are baby cups, which people seek to buy as keepsakes.

The store also does repairs, Creighton said, and carries a large selection of Indian jewelry. Among the selections are silver and gold charms, chains, concho belts, combs, pendants, buckles and turquoise jewelry.

Often, Diaz is asked to create church chalices, as he did in Ecuador in the early 1950s.

"I have here the first chalice I ever made," he said. "I sold this to a church, but I bought it back years and years later. It's not for sale."

Morning Star Traders, 2020 E. Speedway Blvd., 881-2112, www.morningstartraders.com

While a student at the University of Arizona in 1972, Rick Rosenthal started Morning Star Traders on North Fourth Avenue.

It was really a hobby, a love of the amazing craftsmanship of artisans of the Southwest, he said.

"I starting collecting this stuff in the late 1960s. I still have the first piece I bought, a 1920s Navajo bracelet for $150."

But his collection quickly filled the original location, so he moved to a bigger store at 1927 E. Speedway Blvd. in 1977.

Another move, in 1987, took him a block east.

Besides jewelry, the store is stuffed with blankets, baskets, pottery and other treasures.

Much of it dates back to the 19th century, said Rosenthal's wife, Mary Beth Rosenthal. An enormous Native American silver-button collection ranks as one of the best in the world, she said.

A solid brass cash register, 19th-century lamps and hardwood floors add to the ambiance.

The store includes a second building that accommodates a wide variety of antique furniture.

While some of the jewelry was produced in recent years, Morning Star Traders selects work completed with traditional tools.

For more information, call (520) 881-2112.

Perri Jewelers, 13 N. Stone Ave., (520) 624-4311, www.perrijewelers.net

Stephen Perri didn't plan to get into the family business, but he found it had its charms.

It started with his uncle in 1945.

"Uncle Peter was a watchmaker. My father was a hand engraver. He bought the business from Peter in 1957," said Stephen Perri, a teacher at Salpointe Catholic High School.

But about a year ago, his father, Simon Perri, suffered a stroke and the business at 37 W. Congress St. was closed. The plan was to liquidate the inventory, move the equipment and abandon the business.

"I'm a teacher, and my two sisters live out of town," he said. And the old location needed a costly renovation.

But when he took a semester off from teaching to complete the tasks, he changed his mind. "My sisters and I started working here when we were teenagers.

"Until Dad's stroke, he was the last hand engraver I know of in town," Perri said. "People kept telling me not to close the business."

A small, nearby storefront was vacant, and Perri decided to move in. He repairs jewelry, sets stones, sizes rings and repairs quartz watches. He hired a professional watchmaker for other timepieces.

"Our clientele is here," he said of the decision to stay in the area. "If we were not going to stay downtown, we would not have stayed in business.

"We opened here June 11. We're a lot smaller than before, but we're open."