Albuquerque Jewelry Designers
Jewelry Designers
Albuquerque is home to a large number of jewelry designers whose work is influenced by the Southwest’s natural beauty, Native American cultures and the many languages that are spoken in this area. Most of these artists are self-taught and produce pieces in sterling silver that are designed to reflect the unique character of New Mexico.
albuquerque jewelry stores One of the best known New Mexican jewelers, Monongye has a strong commitment to his craft. He is known for his remarkable landscape belt buckles that depict a magnificent mountain range or the night sky. His designs are always executed with great care, precision and accuracy. He has also mastered the art of true pictorial stone inlays.
The Navajo and Pueblo are the largest tribes in the southwest, with their traditional homes atop mesas. Both have a long history of metalworking, but the younger generation of Native artisans are embracing new materials and techniques to produce pieces that are both contemporary and distinctive.
Albuquerque Jewelry Designers
In addition to silver and other metals, many of these Native jewelry makers use a variety of other materials in their creations. The Hopi have used petroglyphs in their jewelry, while the Pueblo and Zuni use opal, coral and other precious stones to decorate their works.
Preston Duwyenie: As the son of a Hopi jewelry designer, Preston began working with metals when he was just a teenager. His work reflects the traditional forms and designs that are found throughout his native community, but he has also developed his own artistic style. He combines his knowledge of traditional pottery with fine silver casting in graceful ceramic forms that are enhanced with textured silver insertions. His most striking pieces are vases that are created from different subtle clay slips in cream, burnished white and a sparkling black micaceous surface. He has also adapted a Depression-era thunderbird necklace that was originally crafted from recycled materials and recreated it in silver with an elegant mokume gane pattern.
Charlene Sanchez Reano: Santa Domingo Pueblo is a place where many craftspeople make jewelry. She has a passion for combining traditional lapidary techniques and materials with contemporary design to produce beautiful, wearable work that celebrates her Pueblo culture. Her latest collection of necklaces and bracelets employs a series of linear designs that are made from bits of colored shell cemented to backing plates. Her use of these traditional elements evokes the economic heritage of her community and reference age-old trading routes to the Gulf of California.
Mark Loloma: Loloma is another contemporary Navajo jewelry designer whose work focuses on blending modern and traditional materials. He combines a strong sense of design with the ability to use different types of stone, such as rosewood or diamonds, to create striking jewelry. His innovations include a “hole genre” that has become popular among younger Native artists.
Several of his pendants are inspired by the moon, while others feature the night sky or the stars. He also makes a line of jewelry that features Navajo-style basketweave, using the same patterns and shapes to create beautiful, yet contemporary designs.
