Al Nez — Navajo Silversmith
Al Nez works in tufa casting. Nancy N. Schiffer's Turquoise Jewelry shows a bead and pendant necklace set with Tibetan turquoise and a cuff bracelet set with Chinese turquoise, "both by Al Nez, Navajo, circa 1980s" (Schiffer 2008, p. 14), and Lois Essary Jacka's Navajo Jewelry: A Legacy of Silver and Stone shows his tufa-cast work (Jacka 1995, p. 106).
Theda Bassman's The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry shows a stamped pot with an oxblood coral stone that he made (Bassman 1997, p. 22). Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as "Al Nez (1959-; Navajo)," active since the 1970s, working in tufa casting, chisel work, shadowbox and stone sets in silver and gold, and records him as a "1991 Inter-Tribal Ceremonial winner. Multiple award winner" (Hougart 2022, p. 226).
His hallmark
Hougart gives his mark as "AL NEZ" (Hougart 2022, p. 226). Ned Nez, born the same year, marks "N. NEZ" (Hougart 2022, p. 228); the two are different smiths.
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References
- Schiffer, Nancy N. Turquoise Jewelry. Revised 4th edition. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2008.
- Jacka, Lois Essary. Navajo Jewelry: A Legacy of Silver and Stone. Photographs by Jerry Jacka. Flagstaff: Northland Publishing, 1995.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1997.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks: Silversmiths, Designers, Guilds and Traders. 5th edition. Washington, DC: BilleHougartBooks, 2022.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and compiled from published references. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.