Navajo and Pueblo Jewelry Design

There are few success stories more vivid than the rapid rise of Indigenous-made jewelry design in the American Southwest. The source of this continuing success lies in the brilliant patterns and motifs of Navajo/Din and Pueblo metalsmiths and lapidaries. Their post-1945 work took them from skilled craftspeople to acknowledged fine artists.

This comprehensive design history of Southwestern Indian jewelry after 1945 discusses fashion elements growing in the 1950s through 1970s, providing timelines of historic events. After 1980, the fine art aspect of this jewelry is highlighted, showing that Native artists developed jewelry designs based on the past but realized in contemporary forms. Designs, both ancestral and inventive, derive from tradition, materials and construction, and personal vision.

Key Features:

• Informative text explains what kinds of designs have been used historically, what notable artists created them, and what collectors and enthusiasts need to know about this jewelry design.
• More than 400 photographs of jewelry showcase eight decades of design progression.
• Timelines of historic events from 1945 to 1979 provide additional perspective.
• All quotes in the book are by Native jewelers.

Navajo and Pueblo Jewelry Design: 1945-2026 offers educational, descriptive, and visual detail to continue the story that began in Navajo and Pueblo Jewelry Design: 1870-1945.