Anatolian Silver in the French Market has a beautiful selection of silver jewelry at very reasonable prices. It is high quality silver and some pieces are unique.

The first building in the market used to be a true farmers market. Now they have food booths and seating areas and daiquiri stands. Not the same but still good. The second building houses tables and tables of vendors selling everything from flip-flops to hand-carved jewelry boxes. My sister bought a Cajun children's book that she later saw in a shop on Decatur for $5 more and a pair of shoes that sold for $2 more in same shop. I bought a Mardi Gras mask. Some of the tables just repeat the same old tired tshirts but there are lots worth checking out.

I've been to the French Market a dozen times and here's the way I like to do it.
First get your beignets and coffee fix at Cafe du Monde. Then walk toward the market. As you enter the market proper, take a minute to orient yourself about what you are going to pass: drink, food, drink, food, trinkets, useless crap and wonderful people looking or trying to make a living. So about 50 yards into the market there will be a drink stand on the right. They feature a frozen pina colada in the upper left corner of their wall menu. Get one. Then start the rest of your walk. Frankly, this makes almost anything much, much better. So get you an alligator head or some handmade soap or some cheap t-shirts. There will be something that interests you; don't be a jerk, allow yourself to be interested. It costs you nothing and what else have you got to do anyway. And remember, keep sipping the colada.

I had not visited the French Market in years. It is cleaner than years past, with more interesting items. There was a cooking demonstration while we were there on Creloe cooking that was fun
to watch. The spices available are amazing. I would recommend it for inexpensive souvenirs and exploring local culture. ( Bloody Mary's are great).