Profiles of the artists whose skill and vision bring each piece to life, honoring generations of knowledge.
4 articles
Generational Knowledge in Every Piece
Understanding the apprenticeship model and family lineages that produce the finest Native American jewelry.
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A lifetime devoted to the ancient art of Diné silverwork
From the red mesas of the Navajo Nation to the galleries of Santa Fe, Thomas Begay has spent five decades refining the techniques first brought to the Diné by Atsidi Sani generations ago. His sand-cast and tufa-cast creations represent a living bridge between ancestral metalworking traditions and contemporary artistic expression, each piece carrying the weight of cultural memory forged in sterling silver.
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Where patience becomes beauty in the A:shiwi tradition of stone cutting
In the quiet precision of her Zuni Pueblo workshop, Lorraine Waatsa transforms raw turquoise, coral, and shell into the intricate needlepoint, petit point, and mosaic inlay patterns that have defined Zuni lapidary artistry for over a century. Her work carries forward a legacy shaped by masters like Leekya Deyuse while pushing the boundaries of what stone-on-silver composition can achieve.
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The Hopi overlay tradition as a language of prayer and cultural memory
Working from his studio on Second Mesa, Duane Tawahongva practices the distinctive Hopi overlay technique — a method in which two layers of sterling silver are fused together, with designs cut from the top layer to reveal the oxidized surface beneath. His clan symbols, water motifs, and migration patterns translate centuries of Hopituh Shi-nu-mu spiritual knowledge into wearable silver narratives that carry prayers across the secular world.
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