Navajo artists, known in their own language as Diné silversmiths or béeso bichʼahii, have shaped Southwestern lapidary and metalwork traditions since the mid-nineteenth century. From the early adoption of Mexican and Spanish metalworking methods to modern innovations in heavy-gauge fabrication, Navajo jewelers maintain distinctive artistic standards rooted in family lineages, technical mastery, and creative individuality. Curators and collectors at LomaSiiva reference these foundational concepts to evaluate historic provenance, construction methods, and regional artistic movements.
Atsidi Sani
Historically documented as the first Diné silversmith, Atsidi Sani (Old Silversmith, circa 1828–1918) learned ironworking and later silver fabrication from a Mexican smith named Cassilio Romero in the 1850s and 1860s. Following his return from the forced internment at Bosque Redondo in 1868, he passed these metallurgical skills to other tribal members, including his brother and sons. His foundational work established the lineage of regional hand-hammered silver, setting the standard for early Navajo Jewelry.
Bezel Setting
A structural metal band wrapped snugly around the perimeter of a gemstone to secure it to a silver baseplate. Navajo smiths traditionally fashioned plain, serrated, or scalloped bezels out of thin sheet silver, frequently surrounding them with hand-twisted wire or stamped silver beads. This setting style protects high-grade stones mounted on statement Native American Rings and heavy cuff adornments.
Concho Belt Design
Derived from the Spanish word concha (meaning shell), these decorative silver plates strung along leather straps represent an iconic achievement of Navajo metalwork. Early examples featured open-center round disks, while later nineteenth-century innovations incorporated domed surfaces, chased borders, and turquoise center stones. Collectors evaluate traditional Concho plates alongside matching buckle assemblies within specialized Belts & Buckles.
Hallmarks and Signatures
Stamps, initials, pictorial emblems, or engraved signatures applied to finished metalwork to designate the individual maker or workshop. Although nineteenth-century Navajo jewelry was produced without maker marks, the Indian Arts and Crafts Board and regional guilds encouraged hallmark adoption during the 1930s and 1940s. Documentation of authentic hallmarks allows specialists at LomaSiiva to trace lineages and substantiate historic provenance across generations of makers.
Ingot Silver
Silver formed by melting coins (such as Mexican pesos or early United States silver coinage) or silver slugs into an open iron ingot mold, which the artisan subsequently hand-hammered, heated, and annealed into workable sheet or wire. Ingot pieces are characterized by subtle surface variations, dense heft, and microscopic striations visible under magnification, distinguishing antique masterworks from modern rolled-sheet metal.
Naja Motifs
A crescent-shaped pendant design rooted in Moorish equestrian ornamentation, brought to the Americas by the Spanish and subsequently traded to Native nations. Diné smiths transformed the crescent into an iconic centerpiece for classic squash blossom necklaces, casting or hammering the arms with flared terminals, twisted silver cords, and centered cabochons, as seen in traditional Native American Necklaces & Pendants.
Repoussé
A metalworking technique in which silver is hammered or punched from the reverse side to create raised, three-dimensional relief patterns on the front surface. Navajo artisans perfected this method using hand-carved steel punches and wooden or lead dies, adding sculptural volume to cuffs, boxes, and wide Bracelets without adding unnecessary weight.
Sandcast Silver
A casting method where a mixture of fine sand and a bonding agent (such as clay or oil) forms a two-part mold around an original carved model. The mold is filled with molten silver, cooled, and separated, leaving a piece with a soft, uniform granular texture. The resulting jewelry, ranging from openwork brooches to structured Bolo Ties, reflects mid-century design evolutions.
Stampwork
Surface decoration achieved by striking hardened steel punches into cold silver to imprint geometric, radiating, or curvilinear patterns. Navajo smiths traditionally hand-forged their own stamps from scrap metal, files, or railroad spikes, creating unique signature dies. Precise spacing and consistent depth distinguish seasoned lapidary smiths, especially on matched Earrings and cuff bands curated by LomaSiiva.
Tufa Casting
An intricate casting technique utilizing soft volcanic stone (tufa) quarried from deposits on the Navajo Nation. The artist carves an inverted design directly into smoothed tufa blocks, cuts alignment channels, clamps the blocks together, and pours molten silver into the cavity. Because tufa stone is porous and brittle, molds often degrade after one or two pours, rendering each piece a rare, one-of-a-kind sculptural creation.