Arland F. Ben — Navajo Silversmith
Arland F. Ben is a metal artist and a photographer. Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as "Arland F. Ben (1962-; Navajo)," active since the 1990s, a "Photographer, actor and metal artist" working in contemporary jewelry, flatware and bowls: silver, gold and diamonds, coin silver and ingot, stamp work, cast and fabricated work, some engraving, overlay and set stones, with petroglyph design elements (Hougart 2022, p. 57).
Mike Ryan II and Philip Chambless's Turquoise in America, Part Two chose him to photograph its turquoise gallery, calling him "an award-winning jeweler" as well as an accomplished photographer, and shows a bracelet of his set with Lander Blue turquoise (Ryan and Chambless 2020, pp. 285, 312). Barb Chaney of Chaney's Turquoise Direct names him among the young jewelers who now tell people, "These are the people that started us out" (Ryan and Chambless 2020, p. 224).
His hallmark
Hougart gives his mark as A F B (Hougart 2022, p. 57).
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References
- Ryan, Mike, II, and Philip Chambless. Turquoise in America, Part Two: 1910–1990. Callais Press, 2020.
- 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.