Gallup, New Mexico, Summer/Fall 2002 

Navajo jewelers Ervin Tsosie, Tommy Jackson and Benson Manygoats have one common goal—to craft the very finest Indian Jewelry using silver, gold, turquoise, coral and other natural stones. They also have a common bond. Both Ervin and Benson were students of Tommy Jackson, who also teaches at Wide Ruins, Ariz. Although there are some similarities in their work—most notably in attention to detail and superior craftsmanship—all three produce work that is distinctly their own, supremely reflective of their personalities and personal philosophy. 

Ervin Tsosie
A quiet, introspective man, Tsosie is a self-taught artist. He has been making jewelry since he was 17, and much of his work is based on ceremonial and mythical figures and spiritual beings representing Navajo culture. His ideas come from meditation, ceremonials and prayer. “For some of my work,” he explains, “the figures were inspired by my grandma who used to dance the Yei bi cheí ceremony.” 

Set in silver and gold, his work is intricately inlaid with hand-cut, semi-precious stones such as sugilite, coral, lapis, malachite, turquoise, jet and mother of pearl. His attention to detail is meticulous, and his pieces so finely crafted it boggles the imagination. The oval belt buckle pictured here, for example, has more than 1,000 tiny pieces, each hand-cut from semi-precious stones, and took months to complete. 

Tsosie approaches each piece as  a painter would a blank canvas, often “letting it sit, until the piece speaks to me, then I build on that.” Everything is freehand; he draws his designs before beginning work on them. Sometimes he likes to have fun with the piece. Others are more serious and reflective of a highly spiritual theme. He creates necklaces, earrings, bolos, bracelets, pins, pendants, medallions and ranger sets (three-piece belt buckles). Although Tsosie prefers working in silver, he occasionally uses gold as well. 

In his “spare time,” the artist enjoys painting and sculpture. One of his favorite sculptures is a Kokopeli with an inlaid bustle and flute of silver.

Tsosie’s work has appeared in various shows including the Santa Fe Indian Market and Intertribal Ceremonial, Gallup and can also be seen at Ellis Tanner Gallery, Silverton and Southwestern Indian Den, Coronado, Calif. and Ellis Tanner Trading, Gallup, New Mexico. 
 

Tommy Jackson
Tommy’s work is like the man himself, big and bold. He arrived for his interview on a Harley Davidson, accessorizing his leathers with a massive bolo of silver and turquoise that suited him perfectly. He is affable and outgoing, with an infectious love for the jewelry he makes and his joy in making it. 

Jackson works in heavy gauge silver and gold set with large, natural stones of top-notch quality, all of them from American mines such as Bisbee, Morenci, Landers and Circo Lake. Between shows, he keeps much of his work in the pawn vaults at Ellis Tanner Trading in Gallup. When he brought some of it out to be photographed for this story, you could feel some serious coveting in the blood and heart of every man and woman in the building. 
Although he often combines big chunks of coral with gold, right now Jackson is using a lot of turquoise with both gold and silver. “Turquoise is so hot!” he exclaims, citing its popularity at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, where his work was shown and sold.    “I was fortunate enough to be asked to demonstrate there,” he says. “Now, I have pieces all over the world.” 

 His designs, such as the 24 kt gold and turquoise pendant, bolo and bracelt shown here are at once uniquely contemporary yet culturally inspired. Jackson developed his craft gradually, starting 20 years ago with his parents, silversmiths Gene and Martha Jackson. “I took some silversmithing classes in high school,” he explains, “and had an opportunity to demo at the Heard Museum in Phoenix. I made $1500 that weekend, and decided I wanted to get into this business!” 

 Meanwhile, at the urging of his mother, who has a PhD and teaches linguistics at the Diné College in Tsalie, Ariz, Jackson went on to complete a Bachelor of Education and follow her footsteps into education, “doing jewelry on the side.” 

With his recent successes and recognitions at shows such as the Santa Fe Indian Market and the Heard Museum, Jackson is ready now to take the leap and go full time into jewelry. If the selection of his work we saw in Gallup is any indication, he has made a wise choice. 

Jackson’s work may be seen at Tanner Trading in Gallup and the Tanner Gallery in Silverton. 
 

Benson Manygoats
The man has a twinkle in his eye and a mischievous grin when he explains his last name. “My grandpa had many goats,” he says. 

The grin and the twinkle stay with him as he brings out his jewelry and lays it on Ellis Tanner’s desk. (We conducted all of our interviews in Gallup at Tanner Trading. Ellis set up the interviews and graciously made his office available.) The jewelry Benson presents is very unusual, highly contemporary, very geometric. Yet it is based on traditional design. He works mainly in heavy-grade silver inlaid cut stones shaped in ovals, squares, diamonds and triangles. All of it is hand-crafted, including the clasps, silver beads and inlaid geometric shapes. He uses a variety of color, and there is a nice, heavy feel to each piece. Especially popular are his “sliders,” tiny geometric shapes that slide onto a chain and can be worn in groups. Many of his necklaces are strands of half-inch round and tube beads interspersed with inlaid pieces and a central medallion following a single shape theme (like the one pictured here). His large squash is especially impressive, especially the one with an inlaid medallion in his feather design—a common motif to many of his pieces. “I drew it out on paper,” he says, “then started working on it, and said, ‘Wow! This is so sharp!’ I want to make a lot more pieces that people look at, and say, ‘Wow!’” 

Manygoats started making jewelry right out of high school, where he learned silversmithing, and worked with renowned jeweler Ray Tracy for 15 years, crafting many of his high-end signature pieces. Now, he’s on his own, creating his own designs. “I’ve got so many ideas!” he says. Like his new bolo with an inlaid flag in lapis, red jasper and mother of pearl with tiny silver stars. With each new idea and each new creation, Manygoats is definitely generating that Wow! reaction. 

Manygoats plans to do a lot of shows this year, and his work can also be seen at Tanner Trading, Gallup and Tanner Gallery in Silverton. 

Special thanks to Ellis Tanner who arranged and graciously provided his office for these interviews.