People fascinated by turquoise

The reason why I became interested in Indian jewelry was the influence of seniors in the first year of working. I was attracted by my senior ring and ordered the same Indian jewelry ring. When I saw it completed, the balance was a little different and it became sharper and cooler than my seniors. I heard that there are individual differences in everything because it is made by hand from the pedestal.Natural turquoise is similar, and no two are the same. It has been 24 years since I learned the joy of owning such a piece of jewelry.I'm still attracted to its charm.

Encounter with Kodera

Nearly 20 years ago, when I was still in the Shinjuku store's sales era, I first knew there was a famous Indian jewelry store in Karuizawa and visited with friends. First of all, I was overwhelmed by Mr. Kodera's aura. In the days when most Indian jewelry owners weren't interested in American casual or fashion, Mr. Kodera was very stylish from the time he was wearing Indian jewelery in his <Jill Thunder> cut and sew. At that time, I wore the best bangle and ring that I had, but the bangle and ring that Mr. Kodera showed was several tens of times better, and I was shocked to see if there was such a shop. It was I still remember the excitement and excitement that the works of the admired artist could buy for a price, not for sale. I ate beer and hot dogs at a nearby bowel shop to cool my head in the daytime, and decided to prepare, McKee Pratero (MP Spike Ring) and Fred Peshrakai (FP Lawn Mountain) were attached. I bought a ring. On my way home, I was gazing at the two rings I got in my friend's car. If you purchase at Skystone, Mr. Kodera will write the name of the writer or turquoise mine that you purchased on the back of the business card and give it to you. It has become like a warranty, and it has added to the excitement of being able to buy at the long-cherished Skystone.

The day when I lost the ring and touched Kodera's kindness

After a while, when I took a taxi from Shinjuku Station, I dropped the FP ring. I returned to Shinjuku Station and screamed about crying because I refused my promise, but I couldn't find it anymore, and I emailed Kodera without being able to recover from the shock. "I will save money again and buy FP works," he said. Then, Kodera, who should be busy, took a picture of all the FP works that were in Skystone at the time, and replied, "It was a pity. Please look at this picture and cheer up" I got sick. The photographs themselves of Kodera's treasured FP collection are valuable and valuable. I was so happy that I felt tears when I touched the kindness of Mr. Kodera who sent me a photograph of such an important work.
After that, Mr. Kodera recommended me for the question of the editor who is wearing Indian jewelry in MONO magazine's feature on Indian jewelry. That was the first opportunity for me to appear in the media as an Indian jewelry fan, and that experience led me to be featured in many fashion magazines and to supervise the Indian jewelry project. Nowadays, even in the fashion industry, I am widely known that I like Indian jewelry and turquoise, but Mr. Kodera made the first step. Thank you.

By the way, for the FP ring, in 2012 we finally got the Blue Gem Turquoise ring at Skystone.

Really good turquoise cannot be bought with money alone

Speaking of Skystone, the turquoise ring is famous.Mr. Kodera started his own production with a quest for a ring that he felt was better. The features are the high quality of the turquoise set on the ring, the thickness and presence of the metal, and the comfort. Even if it's a rugged ring, it's exceptionally comfortable to wear, and I was only interested in Indian jewelry until now, but now I can only wear the ring of Mr. Kodera. Turquoise is usually set in the Skystone ring with a quality that is difficult to obtain, such as those that are usually sold by the shop owner as a private collection or not for sale.Good turquoise is not a world where you can buy it with money, but Kodera, who was also recognized by the American heavyweights, can obtain the treasured turquoise because he has earned the trust and reputation for many years.

Having eyes that can be judged whether it is natural

In 2017, I went to the historic Santa Fe Indian Market, which is said to attract nearly 100,000 people from all over the world, where Kodera was the oldest and most famous Japanese gallery in Santa Fe. We held a trunk show and it was a great success. The sight of discerning lovers happily purchasing Kodera's works from Japan is impressed.Kodera is the only Japanese who has been a judge in the market for more than 90 years.The set turquoiseI am proud and proud that Mr. Kodera, a Japanese, was entrusted with determining whether it was natural or processed.

Opened BARNEYS NEW YORK

Since 2013, BARNEYS NEW YORK stores have been holding Skystone pop-up stores on a regular basis. During the period, Mr. Kodera stands on the floor himself and introduces the charm of Indian jewelry and turquoise directly to customers.If we handle Indian jewelry and turquoise, we would like to work with the best stores. Considering that, Sky Stone is the best.Customers who have not been interested in Indian jewelry or turquoise until now are often looking forward to it every time because of Mr. Kodera's explanation and the charm of his works. As one of the Indian jewelry fans, it is the greatest pleasure for customers to see and touch the actual items at Bernese New York stores that can only be seen in Karuizawa.

The photo was taken before.

Longing for Native American culture

I got interested in Indian Juary when I was in high school. At the time, I attended a high school, which was famous for being quite free-spirited, so I had no restrictions on what clothes I wear and of course what jewelry I wear.

At that time, I was mainly interested in stone and Native American culture rather than silver accessories. Not to mention turquoise, I was attracted to coral, buffalo skull and war bonnet. Inspired by the story of one of my best friends actually going to Indian reservations, I have to live like an Indian who thinks about his offspring seven generations ahead and acts! I remember thinking that.

After graduation, I haven't really understood even one of the essential things, such as thinking about the future of the earth together with my friends, farming and protecting the earth, but I just have to do something simple. .. With such a strange sense of mission, I was holding a self-screening show of subculture-like movie works. Among them are "Earth Symphony" and "Hopy's Prophecy". At that time, I met Hopi elders Martin Gesuismer and Dennis Banks.

In particular, we asked Martin Guethuismer to give us a lecture at the university, and he was very helpful. As he was with us, he looked like a traditional dress, and thought he was purely cool, so he bought Hopi jewelry in Shimokitazawa a few days later.

Following the Navajo ritual

After that, a Navajo medicine man came to Japan on an extension of such connection and performed a ceremony called Swet Lodge at a certain place, so I participated in it. It is a ritual in which rocks heated in a large fire pit are placed in a small tent made of willow branches and leather, and sage is boiled in water in a sauna.

This was pretty rigorous and well done for more than two hours, so I was completely conscious and finally fainted. However, the experience after that was wonderful, and Navajo was amazing at that moment! It led to a simple development such as.

After that event, I began to actively collect Navajo jewelry. It's so short-circuited that you can laugh. At that time, it was a bad era when it was still sold as Navajo in both Fred Harvey and Peshrakai, but I think there were still some good things.

I don't have anything I bought and wore with me, but I think I had a bunch of Mark Qi's and a ring of Julian Lovato's triple setting.

Unexpected encounter with Mr. Kodera

After that, I decided to work in San Jose because of my work, so I could extend my legs and buy an Indian jewelery there. In addition, after the formation of what seems to be an Indian diary industry has been formed to some extent in Japan, I have finally begun to collect at mines and artists.

However, as always, I was struck by the information of magazines and the information of specific stores, and eventually I bought what I wanted, not what I really wanted. From around that time, I started seeing dark-skinned Japanese turquoise dealers, who often wore glasses that appeared in Indian Mook books. Of course, Mr. Kodera. However, at that time, I had already been disciplined in turquoise and jewelry, so I had no choice but to stay as close as possible.

And a few years later, it turned out that my wife had gone to and from Skystone Trading in Karuizawa without knowing it, showing us special number eights and Lone Mountain.

One day, when I tried to go out with a ring with Ukiuki and Marco Bigey's Lone Mountain, he said, "There are more wonderful stones in Karuizawa." At that moment, hey. I know it, even though I am competing. What you want to say is not that store, but that store. So, while repeating in my mind many times, I spent the whole day without looking up at Marco Bigey's ring.

And fate finally brings us to meet Mr. Kodera at Barneys New York in Ginza.

Experience a quality different from the others

Nowadays, I am surprisingly becoming a "coder", but for me, who was originally pursuing stones more than writers, Kodera's quality of stones and peace of mind I think it is an irreplaceable value that no other store has.

In addition, I can say that it also goes well with my favorite writers such as McKee Platero and Ernie Lister, and it is because it is comfortable to wear and knows the goodness of the stone from corner to corner. I feel that the presence as a work is wonderful.

I wear Kodera works almost every day, but as everyone says, I realize that when I pursue a stone, I end up becoming a modeler.

The long-awaited encounter suddenly

I started to be interested in Indian jewelry in the mid-20s. As an editor of lifestyle magazine, I was at the time when I was pushing for Indian jewelery in the medium in which I was in charge, so I was in the middle of exploring what kind of work would suit me. However, due to an unknown genre, I narrowed down some of the most remarkable works, but I couldn't afford to purchase them.

MY FIRST Indian & Turquoise Jewelery is what she gave her a bangle with greenish turquoise for Christmas at that time. The classic, carefully stamped work, still literally retains the charm of smoked silver in its jewelry box for over a decade now.

I think he's a big man.

A few years after I got my first Indian jewelry, I visited Skystone's pop-up shop, which was held at Ginza Main Store in Bernese New York, for coverage. That was my first encounter with Mr. Kodera. At that time, I was ashamed to say that I didn't know Mr. Kodera, and I first held to him, "I have a really tan, my hair is long, and my fingers are full of turquoise... …I think he's a big man.” Mr. Kodera, who talked to me enthusiastically asking about the charm of turquoise and skystone jewelry while giving a little excitement, finally gave me his precious masterpiece "Complete Turquoise Book". And, "Please come to Karuizawa if you get interested in stone someday."

After that, it took me several years to visit Skystone in Karuizawa, but Mr. Kodera, who greeted me there, had a much more refined aura than that time. I was scared again. He showed me such a valuable and precious collection of Mackey Platero's treasured collection, and he also cares for his wife and sons who were accompanied by him. I'm sorry!) Thanks to being able to touch his kind personality, I was able to relax and have a little chat. Such a blissful moment definitely motivated me to start my path as a "codeler" (a popular name for Kodera-san fans).

Turquoise charm and neck

The first place to purchase the commemorative Sky Stone work was a pop-up held at Barneys New York Ginza Main Store where I met Kodera for the first time. Then, whilst looking at the ring of Indian jewelry, I whispered like a devil to the rare Stormy Mountain Turquoise that was mined in 1973, "I think this will definitely suit Mochida-san". As a result of my worries for a few days, when I revisited the Ginza main store, he kindly replied, "I thought I would come again." Perhaps Kodera knew that. I was called Stormy Mountain, which was cut into a rounded triangle. That's the beginning of the skystone turquoise ring.

Men have also come to a big turquoise age with salari !?

Although I have many opportunities to come into contact with my profession and the latest fashion news, I recently read in a newspaper that the men's jewelry market is booming. After reading this article, I felt the momentum of the flow such as diversity and genderlessness, various barriers disappeared, and conversely various values ​​were said to be good, so it seems that this kind of movement naturally occurred. , I really felt it. And this is just good news for coders all over the country. Nowadays, I don't have many chances to see a man wearing a large stone ring in the city, but in the not too distant future, it will be a cool day for a man to wear a big turquoise. maybe. Dreaming that such a wonderful day will come someday, I would like to continue collecting these big, blue, and stones that are not the same in the world.