Video:

Douglas Magnus (b. 1946) moved to Santa Fe in the late 1960s, following his childhood in Los Angeles, California and Silverton, Colorado, and a formative two years with the U.S. Army in El Paso.

A photographer and videographer, Magnus expanded his oeuvre while in New Mexico to include painting, sculpture, and jewelry, an art form he honed while apprenticing with local Indians in Gallup, New Mexico. Soon after he acquired the famed Cerrillos Turquoise Mines, the same land originally mined by Native Americans some 1000 years ago, and later by Tiffany & Company in the early 1900s.

Today Magnus lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico, conceiving original designs and finished products from turquoise, silver, gold, and other materials. He is also a prolific painter, embracing numerous subjects such as interiors and figurative works, while partial to plein air paintings created on site at his mines.

Above all, Magnus embraces quality materials and meticulous craftsmanship for collections such as “Primavera,” "Diamond Plate," "Santa Fe 400," and “Boneyard.” Whether creating a necklace using rare Cerrillos turquoise, which he honors consistently with 18kt gold settings, or carving designs for silver jewelry and belt buckles influenced by historic Spanish coins or NYC manhole covers, Douglas Magnus stays true to his unique, evolving vision and his commitment to beautiful, handcrafted works of art.