Antoinette Cleoni has been designing uniquely
beautiful jewelry for over 15 years. Her signature style features a dazzling array of gemstones in handcrafted sterling
silver settings. Drawing her inspiration from the natural beauty of the stones, Antoinette embraces a business philosophy
that emphasizes respect for the earth and the craftspeople who contribute so much to the jewelry. Antoinette states:
"Our goal is to create links between artisans and the public, between past cultures and present, and between beautiful gifts
from the earth and discerning customers."
Floyd Becenti - Navajo
Floyd Becenti has worked since the 1980's creating
items of traditional and contemporary silver work using silver overlay and applique. He is most famous for his
fantastic storyteller concho belts in which each concho is a unique scene yet connected by a theme. Floyd also creates
wonderful bolos, bracelets, buckles and necklaces.
Harold Becenti - Navajo
Born in 1964, Harold Becenti is known for traditional heavy
gauge silver work with intricate stampwork, natural turquoise stones and other materials. Silversmithing for over 20
years, he learned his skills from his girlfriend and from his mother, Emma Bighand, who is also a well known silversmith.
He is now married with three children and resides in Little Water, New Mexico.
Andy Cadman - Navajo
Born in 1966, Andy Cadman creates beautifully stamped
silver jewelry using a variety of stones and materials. He is the older brother of Darrell Cadman. Andy, his brothers Darrell
and Donovan, and his half brothers Gary and Sunshine Reeves all learned much of their trade from David Reeves (Gary and Sunshine's
now deceased full brother). Therefore, all of the brother's silverwork exhibit much of the same characteristics and
a common feel.
Darrell Cadman - Navajo
Darrell Cadman was born in 1969 and has been creating
beautifully stamped silver jewelry using a variety of stones and materials since 1992. He, his brothers Andy and Donovan,
and his half brothers Gary and Sunshine Reeves all learned much of their trade from David Reeves (Gary and Sunshine's now
deceased full brother). Therefore, all of the brother's silverwork exhibit much of the same characteristics and a common
feel.
Effie Calavaza - Zuni
Born in 1928, Effie Calavaza began making jewelry in 1955
after learning her craft from her husband, Juan Calavaza. She is known for her signature snake designs using sandcast
sterling silver accented with stampwork and nuggets of turquoise and/or coral. This award winning artist creates
nearly all form of jewelry including bolos, cuff bracelets, necklaces, pendants, earrings, rings, watchbands and much more.
Coreen Cordova
After
35 years in the cosmetic industry where she ranged from owning makeup studios in San Francisco on Union Square, being a celebrity
makeup and fashion expert on local and national television, and national spokesperson for the beauty division of a major US
corporation, Coreen found a new inspiration: a passion for jewelry. While spending several months living in San Miguel de
Allende, Mexico and enrolling in silversmith classes, Coreen decided that designing and manufacturing jewelry would be her
“second act”.
Lola Daw - Navajo, Folding Arms Clan
Lola Daw, active silversmith since before 1978, is a member
of the large and talented Yazzie family of silversmiths. She is known for her beautiful handmade silver bead necklaces.
Lola was taught by her brother, Lee Yazzie (one of the most important and respected silversmiths of our time) who had initially
learned silversmithing from their parents, Chee and Elsie Yazzie.
Federico Jemez is originally from a small village
in Mexico and resides and works in Southern California. He is a world renowned authority on Mexican silver, Pre-Columbian
and Mixtec jewelry. He frequently uses various shades of green and blue turquoise in the same piece and is known for
his simplistic and elegant designs.
Derrick Gordon - Navajo
Born in Gallup, New Mexico in 1971, Derrick Gordon is a relatively
young silversmith with much talent. He was taught by his uncle, Delbert Gordon, and began creating jewelry in 1990 at
the age of nineteen.
Gundi
Gundi is a well known German jewelry designer. She
is continually experimenting and evolving on the forefront of jewelry design, but she is especially known for her "fire hydrant"
crosses. Gundi has her own silversmith, D. Troutman, and stone carver that work exclusively for her. Her jewelry
has been featured in many magazines.
Albert Jake - Navajo
Born in 1959 on the Zuni Pueblo, Albert Jake now resides
in Ramah, New Mexico with his wife and two daughters. Albert learned the art of silversmithing from his parents and
began making jewelry in 1987. He specializes in traditional
set stones and cluster jewelry with intricate stampwork. A man of many talents, he is also a sandpainter
and potter.
George and Lupeta Leekity - Zuni/San Felipe
Lupeta Leekity, born in 1942, lives in Zuni Pueblo, New Mexico.
She learned the art of sandcast silver jewelry from her mother and father, the famous sandcast jewelers Lupe and Horace Iule,
when she was thirteen. Married in 1970 to George Leekity, together they make all
forms of sandcast silver jewelry including bracelets, crosses, earrings, necklaces, pins and more. They sign
their jewelry "G & L Leekity" when using their original designs and sign "Iule" when using her father's designs.
Barbie J. Monte - Navajo
Barbie Monte was born in Soccoro, New Mexico and raised
in Alamo, New Mexico. She was taught silversmithing by her sisters and
mother, Margie Monte. In 1992, Barbie began making silver jewelry and continues to this day.
Lena Platero - Navajo
Born in 1954, Lena Platero is a self taught silversmith
specializing in sterling silver feather jewelry. She creates detailed
feather pins, earrings, pendants and much more with and without stones. Her last name, Platero, means silversmith.
Vincent Platero - Navajo, Edgewater/Black
Streak Clans
Born in 1957, Vincent J. Platero was taught silversmithing
by his mother, Helen Chavez, and other family members. Since his start in 1987, Vincent has produced high quality, traditional,
silver stampwork jewelry. He is known for his sampler concho belts, but also creates many other pieces including
earrings, bracelets, pins and barrettes.
Bennie Ration - Navajo
Born in 1955, Bennie Ration learned the art of making jewelry
from his father, John Ration, at a very young age and actually started producing pieces by age eleven. He went on to
work as a silk screener and graphic artist before returning to silversmithing as a career. Having mastered his silversmithing
techniques, Bennie creates jewelry of three dimensional spiritual beings such as Kachina figures, animals and feathers accented
with Navajo inspired geometric patterns. The combination of traditional
Native American designs with his graphic artist style results in unique wearable art.
Daniel "Sunshine" Reeves has been creating beautiful
heavy sterling silver jewelry since 1991. Sunshine was born in 1966, but did not take up his family trade until age
24. Taught his trade by his older brothers Gary and David Reeves, he is known for his intricate hand wrought
stamped designs and has won many awards for his work.
Exclusively at Castle Gap Jewelry
Beading designs from in-house Muscogee (Creek)
artist Sherry Canard. Born in Dallas, Texas in 1976, she has been creating artistic works from a young age.
Drawing illumination from both her artistic mother and her full-blood Native American father's heritage, her
ideas are unique and expressive. Each piece of jewelry is an inspirational one-of-a-kind piece using
a variety of genuine stones and sterling silver.
Joan Slifka
Joan Slifka is known for her heart charm bracelets.
Her pieces are unique in that most are double sided with stones on one side and silver charms on the other. All
stones are natural, superb quality, and handpicked by the artist. Stones used include denim lapis, lapis, black onyx,
rhodochrosite, turquoise, gaspeite, all three colors of spiney oyster shell, mother of pearl and many more. Due
to availability, Joan's jewelry is on a limited basis.
The SuperSmith Collection offers some of the highest-quality
Native American jewelry available in the Southwest today. David Rosales and John P. Delgado, founders and co-owners, handpick
the many silver and goldsmiths that craft the jewelry by hand. The SuperSmiths strive to exceed expectations of
design and quality in beautiful, wearable art.
David Tune - Creek/Navajo/Hopi
David Tune was born on July 21, 1955 in Winslow, Arizona,
but he has also lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico and Oklahoma. David creates beautiful gold and silver mosaic inlay
jewelry using a variety of materials including coral, turquoise, sugilite and opal in addition to detailed stampwork.
In 1987 he battled cancer and credits his uncle for curing him and giving him the ability to return to work in 1994.
The quality and design appeal has been proven through the many awards he has won through the years. A skydiver and hot
air balloonist, David Tune comments "My view from up above inspires my inlay - all the pieces of the earth, fitting together
just so." He holds tight to his spirituality and is quoted as saying "Every marking on my jewelry has a spiritual meaning.
Every piece has its own story."
Exclusively at Castle Gap Jewelry
Turtle Treasure bead designs by Laura Thompsen
are inspired by the color palette of the American Southwest. Laura's longtime passion for jewelry is
expressed not only through the creation of jewelry, but also through her everyday wear of pieces from her extensive jewelry
collection. A native of New Mexico, her combinations of natural stones and shells such as lapis, turquoise, spiney oyster
shell, serpentine and many more celebrate the treasures of the great southwest.
Lorraine Waatsa - Zuni
Lorraine Waatsa is known for her high quality cluster jewelry.
Taught by her mother, Alice Quam, Lorraine has obtained her own reputation for fine jewelry. She works in silver,
gold and a variety of materials including Chinese turquoise, coral, jet lapis, opal and Sleeping Beauty turquoise. Lorraine
lives with her husband and sometimes collaborator, Luwayne Waatsa. She has won several awards for her work over the
years.
Geraldine Yazzie - Navajo
Geraldine Yazzie has been creating wonderful silver
jewelry and belts for over 17 years. She learned her craft from her mother and resides in Smith Lake on the Navajo reservation
with her four children.
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