Dan Jackson
Award winning Navajo silversmith Dan Jackson, born 1944, is known for his intricate “rug pattern” etching. "I learned the silverwork from my father (John Nez Begay) who worked with silver until he was 95 years old. The rug designs on my silver work come from my mother's (Bernice Charlie) weavings. I continue in the heavy silver work of my father. My culture, tradition, and the Navajo way guide me."
Dan Jackson's stamped signature on his jewelry says a lot about the man. His stamp is the hogan, the traditional home of the Navajo--a gift to the Dine by First Man. This round structure of earth and wood embodies the framework of Navajo life: the circular nature of life. All things are alive and composed of two parts--it is the joining of these two parts which make the whole and thus create balance and harmony. Dan brings this notion of balance and tradition to his meticulous silver etchings.
His nephew is famed silversmith Tommy Jackson.
Dan Jackson passed away in May 2022.