Necklace with pendant · Tsosie, Richard (*1959), Navajo (Diné) · ID: 3045852
Gisela Hoffmann, Würzburg, Germany
Description
silver, turquoise, coral, shell, engraved signature
Tsosie has been a jeweler since the mid 1970s. He learned jewelry making from his brother Boyd and from Kenneth Begay at Navajo Community College in Arizona.
Typical of his jewelery pieces are colorful inlays made of natural stones and materials. His trademark, however, is the granulated surface texture.This process was discovered by himself by accident when he noticed silver filings were fusing onto a ring he was soldering. He calls the process which produces this granulated surface texture “reticulation,” and he has been perfecting the technique throughout his career.
His pieces typically contain the symbol for lighting and an arrow pattern. The lightning stands for natural causes, while the arrowhead symbolizes man-made elements. Richard says the design represents the ups and downs of life. “Some things we can’t do anything about and you should try to enjoy life to the fullest.”