Gilbert Ortega Galleries

I am an Arizona native that is currently displaced in another state. I am very familiar with Southwestern jewelry and the like. I had been an avid fan of Gilbert Ortega but have had to rethink my position. I would say that the last three times I have gone to either one of their stores in Old Town Scottsdale have left me feeling like my business is not wanted.
Several years ago I purchased a watch from them out of their «Old Pawn» section. I have loved this watch and wore it every day. There did come a time that I needed to have some repair work done on it and so I took it back to Gilbert Ortega to have the work done. The reason I took it there was because I figured that they would be the best qualified since they deal with this type of jewelry on a regular basis. I trusted them to know what they were doing.
I believe the gentleman I dealt with was/​is the current owner but I am not certain. Anyway, he was very rude and condescending. He rudely stated that they do not do «warranty work» and that I would have to pay for any services. Taken aback by his attitude I explained that I fully expected to pay for the repairs and that I brought it to them because this is where I bought it and trusted they would be able to fix it properly. Boy was I ever wrong!
They did the repair and sent me my watch back but they damaged it. Badly.
There was a crack across the band and they soldered a plate to reinforce it. But they used lead solder. On silver. My watch is now disintegrating because lead eats away the silver over time. There is no way to fix what they did. They also broke one of the turquoise stones because they did not remove them when they soldered it.
I just found this out when I took it to another silversmith in North Scottsdale. They showed me all the damage that was done. Needless to say I had to replace my watch.
I will NEVER shop at Gilbert Ortega ever again and I will definitely warn everyone I talk to that they should steer clear of them.

Out of all the furniture stores in the area, this place was the most memorable. They had exquisite tables with different mineral mixtures that exhibited incredible colors, they also had phenomenal antler chandeliers, as well as beautiful sheep skin rugs. Magnificent pieces all around, but of course it all comes with a very large price tag. Not somewhere where you might find a deal, but if you’re looking for a great centerpiece then take a look here.

If I could give it zero stars, I would. Don’t spend your hard earned money there. The owners do not care about their customers. I was in several weeks ago and was quoted a price on a high ticket item. When I returned to purchase it, not only would they honor their own written quote, but wanted to charge me 30% more without offering any explanation. The owner wouldn’t even take the time to come out front and tell me himself. I am not one to write reviews, but feel others should be warned before shopping there.

Fantastic experience. Will definitely be back.
In April, I went in to Gilbert Ortega to buy a gift to take overseas.
I dealt with Jennifer Christi who was very helpful, courteous and gave
me a terrific discount on the item I purchased.
Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, I was not able to formally gift the item that I had purchased and actually returned to Arizona with the item.
I took it back to Gilbert Ortega, again worked with Jennifer and she gladly accepted the return.
Every element of my experience with Gilbert Ortega and Jennifer Christi was nothing short of outstanding customer service. I wish every retail establishment that I deal with, was able to treat its customers as Gilbert Ortega does. Top shelf! Keep it up.

Wow this place is cool you see so many things you never new even existed. There is this girl that works there I think she said her name was courtney. I went in not planning on buying anything but she was so helpful pretty and funny I spent a fortune. She is great.

Very nice pieces, especially at 50% off. If you are looking for southwest inspired jewelry, rugs, art, etc, this is the place to go.

Seriously — why are there something like 20 Gilbert Ortega galleries/​properties in Old Town Scottsdale? Okay, perhaps 20 is a slight (gross?) exaggeration, but seriously, how much pseudo-​native turquoise and silver jewelry does one need?
Nice staff, sure, and low pressure unlike many of the touristy boutique «galleries» in the area but until I’m in the market for something depicting buffalo, Indians, or horses I think I’ll spend my time elsewhere.

I spoke with one of the staff members at Gilbert Ortega recently about ordering a black stone necklace. I wanted to call in to make sure they had what I was looking for before making the trip. Not only was the staff member exceptionally cordial over the phone but made a point of emailing pictures of various necklaces in the store to me. It was clear that the staff member had taken the pictures with his cell phone for expediency… the photos were sent within minutes of our conversation. I was very pleased with the quality of service and recommend this place to anyone who is in the market for a beautiful piece of native jewelry.

good quality native arts, good prices, good service, in business for generations, a part of Phoenix’s culture.

I absolutely love Gilbert Ortega Gallery in Old Town– whenever I travel to Phoenix (at least once a year for the past 10 years), I make sure I stop in! The store has an incredible selection of Native American pottery — and it’s their fault I got hooked on collecting it :), jewelry, textiles, furniture, etc., from up-​and-​coming to master craftspeople/​museum quality pieces.
Everything here is genuine (not plastic or cheaply made) and well-​labeled. The sales staff are very knowledgeable about the store’s collection, and will help you select something amazing to fit any budget. They will also ship your purchases (great for pottery purchases!).
Looking forward to my next visit; see ya at Scottsdale and Main!

His art/​artifact gallery is carrying on a tradition that has been in his family for many generations. The story behind his family and trading is very cool. The artifacts, art etc are over the top (think Carmel by the Sea status) and not for the average joe’s wallet. I loved looking at the paintings and different items for purchase. His gallery has some stunning jewelry pieces. A cool place to look at stuff (furniture, pottery etc) while checking out Old Town.

There is one of these on every corner. The items are so expensive. Its nice, but not really too unique. There are some overpriced random items. It don’t like how they all it a Gallery, when they don’t really do a good job of displaying their «art works» and explaining the story of why they are unique, about the artist, the name of the piece, or the labor that goes into each piece. I like to support the Native Arts, but this place is ridiculous.

It seems like you can’t close your eyes and swing a dead cat without hitting a Gilbert Ortega Gallery in Downtown Scottsdale. This type of stuff isn’t my taste, but I think a lot of people must really dig it for there to be so many of them. I don’t know enough about whether or not they exploit Native American culture, but seriously — how many fucking stores do we need to sell kachina dolls, quartz belt buckles and ugly aztec-​looking rugs?
Gilbert Ortega is probably more like a one-​stop-​shop — an anchor store… Wal-​Mart with Nordstrom prices. It’s not like stopping at the four corners and buying authentic native crafts from actual native americans selling at the wooden trade shacks… this seems more like Native-​inspired artwork and stuff. I’m sure it’s legit if it says it is, it’s just more professional looking and perhaps a little maufactured.
I’ve never found a single item I would want to buy from these stores… I’ve never even found anything I would want to aquire for free and stick in my house. I hate this kind of kitschy shit… I see it in a lot of North Scottsdale and P.V. homes and it makes me want to puke. My version of Arizona doesn’t include this style. It should’ve exited with the 1990s.
This place lost one star because there are so many of these stores so close to each other I think they are somewhat of an eyesore. It loses another star just because what they sell is useless and tasteless and I’m simply not into that stuff — not to mention their prices are excessive.
This location also loses one more star for being built over a spot where they had to tear down one of my favorite eateries. When I was a kid, I remember my dad would take me to Main and Scottsdale once in awhile and we would grab a hot dog at this amazing little hot dog place. I’ve never had a dog that good since in my life and the fact that it’s gone just makes me sad. It’s one of the few good memories I have of my father who has since passed away.
Main and Scottsdale is a special corner and deserves to have something special built there… Gilbert Ortega isn’t special. Though I do remember my dad used to wear quartz belt buckles back in the 70s and 80s and we did have a few horrible aztec rugs and runners in our house back then.
These places serve a purpose which is to provide tourists with a place to shop for souveniers or new locals with bad taste with a place to blow a lot of money on ugly furniture or statues. I think if you’re a tourist visitng Arizona, then this is probably one of those places someone might suggest. New transplants looking to outfit their hideous cookie-​cutter million dollar southwest spec home with gaudy sculptures and tacky furniture will spend a fortune here. Locals can simply do what most of us do — pretend it isn’t even there.
(I originally reviewed this on 9÷18÷07, but edited it so much I thought I should re-​up it to reset the ratings).

Gilbert Ortega has one of the most amazing displays of native american art, the first time I went with a friend of mine the Ceo Robin came out personally and walked us around the store we were guided through some native american history and culture.
They have some amazing pottery and dazziling silver jewelry to fit every budget from $ 10.00 to $ 10,000 or more…
Hey they even let you put jewelry on Layaway and make payments then they will ship it to you. I have found that the best time and the only time that they have sales is during the peak of summer…
If you can handle the heat (and it ain’t easy) then check it out then I have gotten some great buys at that time
Ask for Nellie she is very friendly and helpful