Nick Rosetta — Kewa Silversmith
Kewa (Santo Domingo Pueblo) silversmith. Profiled in Mark Bahti’s Silver + Stone (2007).
Nick Rosetta, a Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pueblo silversmith, was profiled with his wife, Me-Wee Rosetta, 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. 142), Nick Rosetta (b. 1951) is one of five children of Ray and Mary Rosetta, who invented the handmade silver tube necklaces dubbed "liquid silver" about 1958-59. [1]
Nick Rosetta told Bahti (2007) that each strand of the family's necklaces
“had to run from our dad's shoulder to the fingertips: twenty-five inches, and that meant 640 pieces, so we strung by count.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 142 [1]
Bahti (2007, p. 143) reported that Nick drew the silver into tubes by hand, noting that final draws require wax and that 20-gauge silver takes far more pulls than 28-gauge. [1]
Asked the most demanding part of the work, Nick Rosetta told Bahti (2007):
“Grinding is the toughest. I keep track of bead size and consistency by relying on feel.”
— Bahti (2007), p. 143 [1]
Family in the directory: Me-Wee Rosetta
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 Nick? 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.