Johnny Rosetta — Kewa (Santo Domingo) Silversmith
Johnny Rosetta took his parents' liquid silver into gold. Paula A. Baxter's Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry records that the first liquid silver necklaces were made by his parents, Ray and Mary Rosetta, of Santo Domingo Pueblo, in the 1950s, and that "Their son Johnny developed the original liquid gold necklace in 1972, from 18- and 22-karat gold" (Baxter 2000, p. 99). Its entry on his parents credits Johnny and his wife, Marlene Rosetta, with developing liquid gold bead jewelry together (Baxter 2000, p. 154), and its entry on Santo Domingo jewelry lists "Johnny and Marlene Rosetta" among the pueblo's artist families (Baxter 2000, p. 156).
Marsha Mayer Lund's Indian Jewelry: Fact and Fantasy counted Johnny and Marlene, with his parents, as "still the primary sources of this art form" in 1976 (Lund 1976, p. 131). Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone records Johnny's death in 2003, in the chapter on his brother, Nick Rosetta, whose wife is Me-Wee Rosetta (Bahti 2007, p. 142).
His hallmark
Lund records that Ray, Mary, Johnny and Marlene all signed their work "Rosetta" on the cone portion of their necklaces, and that Johnny reported a further signature: at least one piece of coral in every liquid silver necklace they made (Lund 1976, p. 131). Baxter adds that Rosetta pieces may carry small initials on the cones, "RMR" or "JMR" (Baxter 2000, p. 154).
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References
- Baxter, Paula A., with Allison Bird-Romero. Encyclopedia of Native American Jewelry: A Guide to History, People, and Terms. Phoenix: Oryx Press, 2000.
- Lund, Marsha Mayer. Indian Jewelry: Fact and Fantasy. Boulder, CO: Paladin Press, 1976.
- Bahti, Mark. Silver + Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers. Tucson: Rio Nuevo Publishers, 2007.
- 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.
- Dubin, Lois Sherr. North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment: From Prehistory to the Present. Original photography by Togashi, Paul Jones, and others. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1999. Cited by printed page. Statements describe conditions as of 1999.
From the Library: Schaaf, American Indian Jewelry I (2003)
2003 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 2003, not today.
Schaaf (2003, p. 249) named Johnny Rosetta as a cousin of the Santo Domingo jeweler Angie Reano Owen, whose aunt was Mary Rosetta. [4]
Schaaf (2003) recorded that he
“signs JMR on cones, and uses one coral bead”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 273 [4]
Schaaf (2003, p. 273) recorded Johnny Rosetta as Santo Domingo, born about 1949 and active from about 1957 in heishi necklaces and pottery, taught by his parents, a brother of Joe, Nick and Pablita Rosetta, husband of Marlene Rosetta and cousin of Angie Reano Owen, showing at Indian Market from 1977. [4]
Schaaf's 2003 hallmark index gives JMR to the couple:
“JMR (Johnny Rosetta, Marlene Rosetta)”
— Schaaf (2003), p. 267 [4]
From the Library: Dubin, North American Indian Jewelry and Adornment (1999)
1999 primary source. Anything described as current here describes 1999, not today.
Marlene Rosetta, who worked with Johnny, told Dubin for her 1999 book:
“The mass-produced is very thin silver: 32 gauge, bezel wire. Ours is 28 gauge, hand drawn and hand cut.”
— Dubin (1999), p. 529 [5]
As Dubin recorded in 1999, Johnny Rosetta believed
“making it by hand is very important in order for it to be true, Native American jewelry.”
— Dubin (1999), p. 529 [5]
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.