Joe and Angie Reano

Born in 1948, Joe Reano comes from a very accomplished family of Santo Domingo jewelers.  He was the fourth of eight children, and he remembers fondly his days of growing up in New Mexico.  When he was a young boy, his mother would ask him to go to the dump and look for auto batteries which she would use to back her necklaces, much like the Depression-era Thunderbird tab necklaces. He would also find red and white plastic head bands that his mother would heat up to flatten and cut designs for the necklaces. Joe would find innertubes and his parents would cut them to fit their hands to wear as protection while grinding the various stones and materials. There was no electricity at that time so they used a pump drill.

Joe believes that his older sister, Angie Reano, is the one responsible for bringing back the ancient ancestral Puebloan designs that they use to this day. Joe’s sister Angie, brothers Percy and Celestino (deceased) were all accomplished jewelers. Joe is proud that his dad was a great farmer and taught him the importance of growing food. His mom Clara Lovato Reano was the light of his life.

Joe met his wife Angie in Santo Domingo in the early 1970s. They are both 100% Santo Domingo. Angie also made jewelry as a youngster, and she remembers using the hand pump working with Olive Shell. Her family could not afford to buy stones, so they became very proficient in making the original Heishi Olive Shell necklaces, the tiniest of the shells and most difficult to drill.

Angie and Joe have won many awards in Oklahoma, Dallas, Santa Monica Civic Center, Santa Fe Indian Market, and the Heard Show. They have five children and ten grandchildren. Their sons and daughter Vanisa help them with their jewelry. Their jewelry is beautiful and made with love.