DAN HALL
(American 1957 – 2014)
Dan Hall grew up in the southwest: Phoenix and Albuquerque specifically. He was a meticulous, semi-self-taught jewelry maker who worked in 14 carat gold as well as sterling silver. His stones of choice were diamonds, Australian and Ethiopian Opal plus the finest turquoise from the southwest.
As with many young jewelry makers, Dan dove into an early career in the construction business and for many years produced scale models for larger projects, participated in monument development and installation and soon realized it was the collaborative effort that intrigued him the most. That, and the creation of beautiful jewelry.
Primarily self-taught, Dan admired the greats in Native American jewelry: Charles Loloma, Preston Monongye and others. He studied their work and then focused on grouping artisans together who would collaborate to produce the finest end product. Fortunately, he aligned himself with a terrific business man who also owned a producing turquoise mine in Nevada. That association lasted well over 20 years, until Dan’s death.
During this time OPALS became Dan’s passion: Australian opals and their natural fire excited him and he worked tirelessly to have Ethiopian opals given their just due. He had a childlike enthusiasm for ‘the rocks’ and loved the stories of the stones, the mines they came from and the people who mined them.
Dan’s enthusiasm was always evident in his irrepressible wit, irreverent sense of humor and his generous spirit.
