We have had the chance to work with many talented artists over the years. We'd like to share a few of their stories, their art is tied strongly to the history of the artists, their tribe, and the land. These are just a few of the artists we work with, more will be added as we gather the stories of these talented people.
Loretta Delgarito-
Loretta is an artist we have a had a long relationship with. She started making jewelry about 38 years ago, when she was 14. Her cousin taught her some of the basics and had Lorretta help her make jewelry. She was and still is passionate about jewelry, which caused her to excel at creating it. Loretta makes her living as a full time silversmith here at Chaco Canyon Trading Co. She can often be found sharing a bit about her art with people stopping by the store.
Lloyd Martinez-
Lloyd is a talented artist who has worked with us for over 2 years now. He has been making jewelry since high school, learning the art from his mother-in-law. Lloyd has a lot of experience with both traditional and contemporary jewelry making. He has been working on quite a few designs mixing traditional style silver work with faceted gemstones.
Emerson Delgarito-
Emerson Delgarito has been working with jewelry since he was 20 years old. He started silversmithing at a jewelry shop in Smith Lake on the Navajo Reservation. He developed a unique style, that is very detail oriented, creating intricate pieces that can be found in galleries all across the nation.
Emerson enjoys working with turquoise, for many reasons, one of which is his belief that it brings good luck another is its connection to the ancestry of the Navajo people. Because of his love for the stone, Emerson's designs often feature Turquoise.
Albert Dawes-
Albert was making jewelry even before he got to high school. He started silversmithing around age 10, this art was passed down to him from his father. Since High School he has become a very good artist, making good use of his experience to create some beautiful pieces of art. He has worked for many of the local jewelry companies, he has done many types and styles of jewelry over the years.
Albert is adept at traditional designs, but he also enjoys the challenge of creating original twists on those designs as well.
Mike Smith-
At the age of 52 Mike has been making jewelry for over 36 years, making it both his living and lifelong passion. He learned mostly by working with his uncle, and developed his own style and designs over the next few years.
Today Mike and his wife Loretta live near Ambrosia, New Mexico and together create interesting, traditional styled jewelry.
Monty Robertson-
Monty is one of the best artists we have had a chance to work with. He likes the challenge of new ideas and executes complicated designs with seeming ease. This is partly because he has been making jewelry since he was about 12 years old, learning the craft from his grandfather. It is also due in part to a natural skill when it comes to working with metal and stone.
He makes his home in Thoreau, New Mexico with his wife and kids. While Monty does well at most styles of traditional and contemporary silversmithing, he excels at stamp work. The Navajo style of stamping takes a strong, steady, and skilled hand to do well. Monty shows no signs of stopping or slowing down when it comes to making jewelry.
Artists We Work With
