About Us
Christine Jones-Owner
Christine grew up in the southwest and fell in love with Turquoise jewelry on a Highschool girls trip to Santa Fe when she accidentally stumbled upon The Indian Arts and Crafts festival in 02'. She is a Pagosa lover and enjoys hiking, equestrian sports, and traveling with her family. She has an extensive design background and enjoys using raw material, and collaborating with mine owners and Native artisan to create one-of-a-kind pieces to be enjoyed for generations to come. Originally, from the Dallas, TX. area, she grew up fishing, camping, and riding her Arabians. Later, 2004, her husband and her opened a Landscaping company with a certificate in Landscape Design. For many years she enjoyed land restoration projects as well as plant design. She takes that love of the southwestern topography and applies many of the same concepts to the southwestern jewelry landscape. "I want to create pieces to be enjoyed for years to come, while preserving the integrity of authentic Native American design," she said when interviewed in 2022 by Cowboys and Indians 'Western Storefront' feature. "The best feeling is when I see a grandma, mom, and daughter (3 generations) walk through my doors. It really does make you feel part of their legacy, and we bond over our love of the art."
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At Lantern Dancer we know that jewelry is a gift from the heart. But we also believe that handmade Native American jewelry is extra special.
We buy direct from Native American artisans, who are part of our store family and work closely with our knowledgeable staff. Some of our artisans have been with us for over 30 years.
When you buy from us, you are more than a customer, you are a friend. And you can be assured that you are working with a company that has a long track record of honesty, integrity and people who love what they do!
Every piece of jewelry we sell comes with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and all items are authentic Native American pieces, hand selected by us. A certificate of authenticity, signed by the artist is included with most purchases.
About us
(the start-owner history) Artist Sue Weaver and her husband Dale opened Lantern Dancer in 1992, in partnership with Jerry and Rosemary Zepnick. The store name came from a camping incident involving an old kerosene lantern that caught fire. Dale grabbed the lantern and ran from the tent to put out the fire. He was naked as he danced around stomping out the flames, earning him the nickname Lantern Dancer.
Doris Green has owned Lantern Dancer since July 2005 before selling in 2021. She purchased the shop and has focused on providing quality merchandise, including one-of-a-kind Native American and contemporary Southwestern jewelry, along with local fine arts and crafts.
Doris approached Christine Jones Current owner in 2021 and after a compelling lunch now runs the everyday operations of Lantern Dancer with her experienced team.
About-Doris Green
Doris purchase Lantern Dancer in 2005, after a storied career in Advertising. She founded Adware and was one of the first female vice presidents of McCann Erickson Worldwide. She grew up in Kentucky and moved to Pagosa Springs, Colorado from Naples, Florida in 2000 after coming over Wolf Creek Pass and looking down onto the BootJack Valley and realizing this was one of the most beautiful places on earth.
