Mary Tom — Navajo/Diné Silversmith
Navajo (Diné) silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Mary Tom, a Navajo jeweler, was profiled with her husband, Jack Tom, in Mark Bahti's Silver + Stone (2007).
The Mark
No hallmark is recorded for this artist in our sources yet. If you have a signed piece, we would love to see the mark.
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. 174), Mary Tom (née Begay) was born in 1949, and of eight siblings only she and her brother Steven Begay, a maker of stampwork jewelry, became silversmiths. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 174), Mary started out fabricating the silver and silver-and-gold beads for the pendants and necklaces she made with Jack, and as of 2007 she also designed her own clean, contemporary pendants and necklaces, often set with spiny oyster shell. [1]
According to Bahti (2007, p. 174), Mary's own pieces were entered in shows individually, while work the couple made together was usually entered under Jack's name. [1]
Family in the directory: Jack Tom
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.
Know more about Mary? Contact T.Skies.
This profile is maintained in support of Native American silversmiths and is compiled from published sources, cited above. See something inaccurate, or want to add to it? Contact us.