Richard Tsosie — Navajo Silversmith

Richard Tsosie builds texture into silver. Lois Essary Jacka's Navajo Jewelry: A Legacy of Silver and Stone writes: "He also combines overlay work with textured surfaces, accomplished by granulation, a process that involves fusing silver filings or dust onto a background without the use of solder. Richard is credited with being the first Native American jeweler to develop this technique" (Jacka 1995, p. 62). Jacka adds that he often fabricates hollowform, box-style jewelry, massive in appearance and light in the hand (Jacka 1995, p. 62).

Theda Bassman's The Beauty of Navajo Jewelry shows a bola tie and a matching belt buckle of his in silver shadow box and overlay, with beveled inlay of turquoise, oxblood coral and malachite (Bassman 1997, p. 55). Bille Hougart's Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks lists him as "Richard Tsosie (1953-; Navajo)," active since the 1970s, working in "Contemporary; cast work; fabricated; mosaic inlay; silver, gold" (Hougart 2022, p. 320).

His hallmark

Hougart gives his marks as "R (below a cloud); R Tsosie (stylized script)" (Hougart 2022, p. 320). Boyd Tsosie's mark is also a cloud, above a B (Hougart 2022, p. 319); the letter tells them apart.