Navajo

Navajo silversmithing began in the mid-nineteenth century, when Diné smiths first worked silver into adornment. Within a generation the craft matured into the forms still recognised today — the squash blossom necklace, the concho belt, the broad stamped cuff.

Tufa and sandcasting, in which molten silver is poured into hand-carved stone moulds, give Navajo work its weight and sculptural presence; stamping and repoussé add the rhythmic, hand-struck patterning. Turquoise — set as a single commanding cabochon or in radiant clusters — is the stone most bound to the tradition.

Navajo makers account for the largest share of the work in this gallery. Each piece carries that lineage of silver and stone forward.