Delbert Gordon – Navajo
1955-
Born in 1955, Delbert Gordon is a self-taught silversmith. Navajo silversmith Delbert Gordon was originally from Houck, Arizona, and grew up in Tohatchi, New Mexico.
Delbert began silversmithing in high school at the age of 17. He was inspired by his uncle, T.K. Whitman. Although he considers himself an artist first, he quickly realized he had a talent for silversmithing as well. He draws and fabricates his own designs, and has established his reputation as one of the best traditional style artists. He does beautiful stamp work in plain silver, and often incorporates stones into his designs.
“After high school my brother in-law and I started to make jewelry. I didn’t know anything about it and had to teach myself everything.”
“I had been selling jewelry for about 10 years when one of the local shops in town asked me to work for them. So they would give me the stones and silver and I would work at home and in the shop. I did this for over 20 years, never doing any other work. At the time I really was making a lot of good jewelry for the business and wanted to go out on my own to make more money. I wanted to establish my work and have more buyers.”
Over the years, he has created some of the most beautiful traditional Navajo jewelry in existence. He specializes in Traditional Revival designs and always works with fine, natural turquoise.
Delbert has been an active silversmith since 1975. He has been a great mentor to many younger silversmiths, including his nephew Derrick Gordon.
