Jack Tom — Navajo/Diné Silversmith
Navajo (Diné) silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Jack Tom, a Navajo silversmith, was profiled with his wife, Mary Tom, in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: JT (Schaaf (2003), p. 307).
From the Library: Bahti, Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers (2007)
A 2007 profile, reviewed and corrected by the artists themselves before publication. Anything described as current describes 2006-2007, not today.
Speaking to Bahti (2007), Jack Tom described how he designs:
“I don't draw. I start a piece of it and it goes that way.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 172 [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 172), Jack Tom was born in 1948 at Keams Canyon, Arizona, and began working jewelry in 1971. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 175), Jack taught himself silversmithing while working as a buffer in a Holbrook jewelry shop; rising silver prices pushed him out of silverwork in 1979, and he returned in 1985 after four years as a welder. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 175), the Toms' first show was the 1974 Holbrook Navajo County Fair, where their work won three ribbons, and Jack went on to win ribbons at the Heard Museum, Santa Fe Indian Market, Museum of Northern Arizona and Eight Northern Pueblos. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 175), the Toms added 14-karat gold about 1994, and Jack learned textured rolling from Zuni jeweler Marvin Panteah; the Toms also sandblasted the backs of their pieces instead of giving them a mirror polish. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 172), Jack Tom's work drew on Navajo rug designs and ancient Anasazi patterns. [1]
Jack Tom told Bahti (2007) that his great-grandmother was Hopi:
“It's why I do some of my designs in Hopi style”
— Bahti (2007), p. 172 [1]
Family in the directory: Mary Tom
From the Library: Bassman, The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry (1997)
1997 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1997, not today.
Bassman (1997, p. 52) pictured gold overlay on textured silver earrings and a bear pendant made by Jack Tom. [3]
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 307) recorded Jack Tom as Navajo, working with his wife Mary Tom in gold, silver, inlaid and overlay jewelry and bead necklaces, with a second prize for necklaces at Indian Market in 2000 and Best of Traditional Jewelry without stones there in 2001. [4]
Schaaf (2003) quoted Wright's Indian Art on the couple:
“They achieve a contemporary twist with very traditional”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 307 [4]
Field Notes by Mateo James
I notice Schaaf's 2003 register lists him as active from about 1993, while Bahti says he began in 1971. Schaaf's date may mark the start of the couple's gold and bead work rather than his first jewelry, but I show both as printed.
Sources
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2007.
- Schaaf, Gregory. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
- Bassman, Theda. The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry. Photography by Gene Balzer. Walnut, California: Kiva Publishing, 1997. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1997.
- Schaaf, Gregory, with Angie Yan Schaaf. American Indian Jewelry I: 1,200 Artist Biographies, ca. 1800-present. American Indian Art Series, Vol. 5. Santa Fe: CIAC Press, 2003. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 2003.
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