Jennifer Curtis
Jennifer Curtis was born in Keams Canyon on the Navajo Reservation. She is the daughter of legendary silversmith Thomas Curtis. Like her father, Jennifer is known for her heavy stamping technique. Nothing used in her jewelry is commercially made. All the materials, silver and stones, come from Mother Earth.
Jennifer Curtis learned her art as a child from her famous silversmith father Thomas Curtis, Sr. himself an award-winning silversmith. Jennifer works in very heavy gauge silver with the help of her husband Ray Skeets. Like Thomas Curtis, Jennifer constructs every part of her jewelry herself. She uses her father's stamp and dye sets. This is important because they are Thomas's original designs (not commercially bought).When you buy Curtis jewelry it is a unique creation not mass produced. The Navajo jewelry of the 1800's was also made using heavy gauge silver. It was not until the Fred Harvey era did light weight Navajo jewelry come about. Fred Harvey catered to the tourist trade who preferred light weight jewelry. It is cheap to make and any silversmith with minimal skills could fill orders.
Today, she lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico and is the most respected Navajo female silversmith working in a traditional style. Known for her exquisite stamp and file designs, Jennifer’s work is the perfect blend of tradition and innovation. Jennifer’s husband Ray makes leather purses and they are becoming a fashion statement. Ray is reviving the classic leather purses and complimenting them with a piece of Jennifer's jewelry.
