Far Fetched jewelry is artisan jewelry from Far Fetched Imports, which Richard Wolf in the 1980s founded. In the seventies, Richard Wolf was only a student at Sonoma State University when he came up with the idea of “traveling far and fetching the unusual and upbeat.” This led him to the Guerrero state in Mexico – to the villages in Taxco (Taxco de Alarcon).

Richard Wolf discovered excellent and skilled artisans and their talented families but needed income. These artisans led humble lives but could produce unique artisan jewelry that the world needed to see. But, unfortunately, they lived on dirt floors with one or two bedrooms.

To a young person like Richard (this was over 35 years ago, mind you), the idea of making a living and contributing to the uplifting of these artisans and their families was genuinely compelling. Who wouldn’t want to present the beauty of artisan jewelry and mixed metal jewelry while ensuring that the enterprise enriched everyone involved?

Thus began Richard’s journey with Far Fetched Imports. He didn’t mind that one-hour bus trip and the long hike up dirt roads and unpaved trails to find these artisans and their handcrafted items. The artisans specialized in abalone jewelry, and Richard helped wholesale this jewelry on the West Coast.

When Far Fetched jewelry was still a budding dream, the only way for Richard to bring the artisan jewelry out of Taxco was through hand-carried luggage. He filled numerous suitcases with donated clothes and returned with them filled with jewelry. In addition, Richard had a camper pick-up truck, which he used to travel up and down California so he could sell the artisan jewelry, many of which by now have become vintage jewelry as well.

The young man found himself selling artisan jewelry in flea markets and craft fairs, and of course, he wholesaled his jewelry to small retailers. His first big customer was Disneyland, and after that encounter, he decided to register Far Fetched Imports, renting his dad’s basement initially.

In the 1980s, the price of raw silver experienced a dramatic drop, which meant it was only a matter of time before sterling silver entered the mainstream jewelry market in a big way once again.

Richard integrated silver into Far Fetched Imports during this period, and the brand rode a powerful wave of popularity because of its bold and unique designs. Neck Collars from Far Fetched jewelry became all the rage. The artisan jewelry found itself in so many locations, including department stores. Unfortunately, the humble team had reached their capacity at this point. When Broadway Stores began asking them for more jewelry, they declined because they couldn’t keep up with the demand anymore.

Richard decided that they would need to evolve to keep up with the times. So they hired an in-house designer to streamline the integration of new ideas into the products. The goal was to use the unique skill sets of the traditional artisans to keep producing unique and one-of-a-kind designs that people will continue to love for years.

Evan David, Richard’s friend from Crown Corning, decided to change and jumped in. Their first collection together was called Mex/West. The Mex/West collection was very cheerful and upbeat. The goal of the Mex/West Far Fetched jewelry collection was to highlight the commonalities between West Coast culture and Mexican culture. Richard first introduced the exhibition at The New York Boutique Show.