Maria Samora — Taos Silversmith
Taos silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Maria Samora, a Taos Pueblo jeweler, was profiled in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
Recorded mark: SAMORA (Hougart (2022)).
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.
According to Bahti (2007, p. 145), Maria Samora was born in Taos in 1975, the daughter of Frank Samora of Taos Pueblo; after a jewelry course at UNM-Taos in 1997 she apprenticed with goldsmith Phil Poirier for six years. [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 146) reported that she began showing her work at Blue Rain Gallery in 2002, starting in silver, then combining it with gold, then working in solid gold. [1]
Speaking to Bahti (2007), Maria Samora explained:
“From my training with Phil I have developed a preference for heavy bezels, usually 18-gauge. That means setting the stones with careful hammer work instead of burnishing.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 146 [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 147), at her first Santa Fe Indian Market, in 2005, she won second prize for a contemporary gold bracelet; she alloys her own gold and depletes its surface with naturally occurring acids for the look of 24-karat gold with 18-karat durability. [1]
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.
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Cited for the recorded hallmark.
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