About Thunder Lizard Beads

 Thunder Lizard features beads from all around the world and offers finished jewelry and materials for jewelry creation.

Owner Sharon worked for Rowena Martinez (former owner of El Rincón and mother of Ouray Meyers) for a year.

My husband met some Chinese fellows and he began to sell Chinese turquoise. This is some of the best — from the ground. Then, he met different suppliers and began to discover more beads. His acquiring of unusual stone beads is now the heart of our business."

Kyle traveled to purchase beads in California and wholesaled to bead shops. I, along with other family members, sold beads at Trader Jack’s Flea Market in Santa Fe for 10 years. We were the first bead people at the market. The economy was booming and all was great."

The business started growing. Kyle sold to Tiffany’s.

During the popularity of the Jurassic Park movie craze, he started working with petrified dinosaur bones. The line he worked with, Jurassic Classic, included jewelry with bone and amber. He sold this jewelry to the Smithsonian Institution’s gift shops. The Santa Fe Folk Art Museum gift shop also carried our wares.

Then, Kyle got sick with cancer in 1992. The flea market eventually closed.

"We opened our store at Valerio Plaza and remained at the spot for seven years until

the owner, Juan Valerio, became ill. Then, we moved down the road to the former location of El Llanito Grocery where our children used to go for candy. We have a few Oriental rugs. I used to carry more, but nowadays, I’m working more with beads. "

The beads originate from all over the world, including the Middle East, Africa, Ethiopia, Italy and China. Some of the many stones include turquoise, antler, Italian and Mediterranean coral, glass, amber and carnelian. More beads are onyx agate, quartz crystal, Pandora beads, lapis and chalcedony. A few more, but not all beads, include jade, hematite, fresh water pearls, shell and lava.

What do people do with all the beads? Many of them make jewelry. We carry supply materials such as Flex-Rite, spacers, clasps, tools and ster- ling silver. We specialize in Hill Tribe silver from Indonesia. Members of this tribe are talented in carving and weaving.

Throughout the store, there’s completed jewelry, bags and tubs of beads as well as special sales items. 

I shop at Thunder Lizard every time we visit Taos....remembering the amazing collection of gems, semi precious stones, silver and beads causes me to have a recurring retail dream....love this shop and the owners are awesome!!

– Gay Young

Wonderful time at this store! The ladies were very helpful and have a lot of knowledge for beading! Very pleased with my purchases!  

– Susan Simmons-Houser 

Scarlet & Sharon are so knowledgable about all their products !!! What a gem of a store!!!! 

–Patricia Kintner