Arnold Blackgoat
Arnold Blackgoat’s great grandfather was Moses Blackgoat. He was the first silversmith in the Blackgoat family. Moses was from the Lupton area and started making jewelry in the early 1900s. The art of jewelry making has been passed down generation to generation. He started to silversmith at the age of eight, by helping his grandmother, Helen Blackgoat, his mother Jenny Blackgoat, and his well-known uncle, Carson Blackgoat. He is known for his precise free hand stamping, using only the highest grade stones and heavy gauge silver.
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Bennie Ration
Bennie Ration is a Navajo silversmith born in 1955 who learned the craft from his father at age eleven. Born on March 21, 1955, on the Canoncito Navajo reservation in New Mexico to John and Frances Ration. He started with copper before graduating to silver at age 16. After working as a graphic designer, he returned to silversmithing in 1978, combining his artistic skills to create detailed, three-dimensional pieces featuring Southwestern animals, kachina figures, and geometric patterns. His distinctive style reflects a strong cultural heritage and technical mastery, using high-grade turquoise and intricate silverwork.
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Betty Tom
Betty Tom is a Navajo silversmith specializing in traditional cluster work. Born and raised in Thoreau, New Mexico, she began silversmithing shortly after high school, learning by watching her father at the bench. Through this hands-on, family-taught tradition, Betty developed the skills that define her turquoise and silver jewelry today.
A mother of three and grandmother of four, Betty continues to live and work in Thoreau, creating collectible Navajo cluster jewelry that reflects classic Southwestern design and enduring craftsmanship.
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Bob Becenti
Robert Becenti (1949-2001) was born in Rehoboth, NM area of the Navajo Reservation. His mother, Bessie Becenti, was a well known weaver. Becenti was a realist and painting in the style of Jimmy Abeita. During the 1970's through the early 1980's, he was a regular award winner at the Gallup Inter-tribal Ceremonial. Becenti worked with the former Kiva Gallery in Gallup owned by the legendary Nell Guadagnoli. Guadagnoli promoted many Native artists and was for years the main source of Becenti paintings. The artist was also an accomplished silversmith and spent much of his time creating jewelry. He passed away at the age of 52. Read more https://www.santafesunhandmade.com/post/the-art-and-legacy-of-navajo-silversmith-bob-becenti
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Bobby Johnson
Navajo silversmith Bobbie Johnson grew up in Church Rock, New Mexico, just outside Gallup, where jewelry making was part of everyday life. Rather than learning in a formal classroom, he learned the way many traditional Diné silversmiths have for generations—by watching, helping, practicing, and gradually mastering the techniques passed down within his own family. Read more
Today, Bobbie Johnson is recognized as a respected veteran silversmith in the Church Rock community. Fellow artists value both his craftsmanship and decades of experience, reflecting the reputation he has earned through a lifetime devoted to the art of Navajo silversmithing.
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Burt Francisco
Burt Francisco is a contemporary Navajo silversmith who learned traditional techniques from his parents and became a master artisan. He began creating and selling silver and turquoise jewelry before he was 20 years old and continues to work from his studio in Canoncito, New Mexico. His work is characterized by his traditional Navajo skills and mastery of incorporating turquoise.
Calvin Desson
Navajo lapidary artist Calvin Desson is from the Lupton area on the Navajo Reservation. Calvin began making jewelry when he started working for the Yellowhorse Trading Post in Lupton, Arizona. He began working on his own in 2004. He is known for his patterns in inlay and micro-inlay. Calvin creates inlay scenes from what he knows: Life on the Navajo Reservation. Only the finest materials are used in his one of a kind jewelry.
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Calvin Martinez
Award-winning Navajo silversmith Calvin Martinez has spent decades honoring the roots of his craft while creating jewelry that resonates with both beauty and meaning. Born in 1960 and active as a silversmith for over 30 years, Martinez represents a powerful link between the earliest Navajo metalsmiths and today’s collectors who value authenticity and tradition.
Though he learned foundational skills within his family, Martinez is largely self-taught—refining his techniques through dedication, observation, and deep respect for the past. Martinez works entirely by hand, staying true to time-honored methods. From forming heavy gauge silver to hand-cutting his own bezels, his process reflects a level of craftsmanship that is increasingly rare. He is also known for his commitment to quality, using only the finest natural stones—often gem-grade turquoise—carefully selected to complement the weight and presence of his silverwork. His style is widely recognized as Traditional Revival, a movement rooted in the techniques and aesthetics of early Navajo silversmiths. There is also a spiritual dimension to his work. Martinez is known to pray over his jewelry, imbuing each creation with intentions of protection, safety, and happiness for the wearer. This practice, combined with his meticulous finishing process—where each piece is polished to a smooth, luminous surface—ensures that his jewelry carries both physical beauty and deeper meaning. Read more https://www.santafesunhandmade.com/post/calvin-martinez-tradition-craft-and-quiet-strength-in-silver
Charlie Johson
At the early age of 15 Charles Johnson began his apprenticeship in lapidary and silversmith work, under the tutorage of his parents, His mother was a fifth generation jeweler and his father a second. As Mr Johnson continued to learn his art, his skills developed to where at the age of 20 he was a full time silversmith. Then, while continuing his silverwork, he tried his hand at lapidary work. Although he began in the practice of traditional Navajo jewelry making, he eventually honed his creations, changing to a much more contemporary style. Mr Johnson then began to create a more "Western style" comprised of uniquely designed Petroglyphv (Anasazi drawings) work, on bracelets and belt buckles, which now comprise the majority of his work.
Chris Charley
Born in 1972 in Crown Point, New Mexico, Chris became fascinated with silversmithing while watching his uncle, Raymond King. At age eighteen, Chris began his own career as a silversmith, teaching himself the tools and techniques he observed his uncle use to craft his own award winning jewelry. A master of so many silver working and design styles now, Chris considers the more basic, traditional Navajo method of stamp work to be his favorite and finest skill. The stamped silver pieces he produces are crisp, refined and expressive. It is with these traditional designs and techniques that Chris feels most connected to his tribe cultural history - the “old ways”.
Cliffton Aguilar
Cliffton Aguilar is a Native American silversmith from Santo Domingo Pueblo, a community renowned for its long tradition of jewelry making. His work reflects the pueblo’s heritage of handcrafted artistry, often incorporating natural stones and traditional design elements associated with Santo Domingo jewelry. Drawing from techniques and styles passed down through generations, Aguilar creates pieces that honor the cultural legacy of his community while continuing the enduring tradition of Pueblo silversmithing.
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Dakota T. Willie
Born, raised on the Navajo reservation in the town of To’hajiilee, NM, Navajo artist Dakota Willie was taught to make jewelry by her father, RONNIE WILLIE. The willie name is known worldwide in the jewelry industry for their contemporary and edgy designs. Read more. https://www.santafesunhandmade.com/post/dakota-willie-contemporary-navajo-silversmithing-rooted-in-generational-tradition
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Danny Clark
Danny Clark has been a silversmith for over forty years. Born in Klagetoh, AZ, he is the youngest of eight brothers and three sisters. Now residing in Gallup, New Mexico, Danny creates unique jewelry styles that have gained recognition and become highly sought after in the Southwest.
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Danny Henio
Danny Henio is recognized as a Navajo silversmith, with contemporary listings identifying his work explicitly. His work in sterling silver and turquoise is actively catalogued by Southwestern galleries and online retailers.
Don Lucas
Don Lucas is a renowned jewelry designer who has been designing southwestern jewelry for over 40 years demonstrating that the allure of the American Southwest comes to life in Southwestern Jewelry.Although Don Lucas has been designing southwestern jewelry for almost 40 years, the traditional designs of southwestern jewelry go back hundreds of years. The Don Lucas collection is renowned for beautiful designs and quality craftsmanship based on traditional southwestern styles.
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Don Platero
Don Platero specializes in contemporary and traditional designs. His work includes silver jewelry, dinnerware, server sets, wedding sets, and unique custom creations such as chopsticks, bridles and flatware. Flatware art has been very popular and is one of the earliest forms of Navajo silver. Don started silver smithing around the age of 10. He was taught by his father Dan Platero. Don uses the highest quality sterling, beautiful turquoise and a variety of techniques.