Exquisite Ring Designs by Jennifer Curtis

Navajo artist and jewelry maker Jennifer Curtis is the daughter the famous and well-loved Thomas Curtis. Her creations showcase her talent in working with heavy gauge sterling silver, especially as she uses her father’s hand-crafted stamps to create one-of-a-kind designs. Some of her best creations are rings with spectacular eye-catching designs. Her designs are based on traditional Navajo culture, most often with a gorgeous natural turquoise or coral stone as their centerpiece. However, she adds an innovative touch to them, resulting in pieces of jewelry that are widely considered as works of art that earned her numerous awards at the Santa Fe Indian Market. Let’s take a look at some of Jennifer Curtis unusual and innovative ring designs:

• Paiute spiderweb turquoise ring – Featuring a rare stone, Jennifer Curtis’ creation is a fine collectible ring that easily attracts attention with its deep blue hue with traces of green. A complex and tight spiderweb pattern consisting of reddish brown swirls across the colors. A hand-chiseled and intricate bezel surrounds the turquoise to further emphasize its beauty. She made the shank out of sterling silver in a substantial gauge and split it by hand into eight sections to connect with the ring face’s base. A deeply stamped crescent design can be seen on the sides of the ring for an elegant and unique flair.

• Carico Lake spiderweb turquoise ring – The dazzling electric green gem grade Carico Lake turquoise is sure to draw attention to your hand or to your jewelry collection. The stone has a timeless look with a complex matrix of gold spiderweb patterns and deep lemon lime hues. Jennifer set it with her signature rollover chiseled bezel over a thick shank, which is a heavy half round wire.

• Ithaca Peak spiderweb turquoise ring – Jennifer picked the attractive electric blue stone from the mining district of Kingman to create an attractive ring. The turquoise is set in a lovely bezel that rolls over it. She used heavy gauge sterling silver for the shank, which she expertly split by hand at the top to form eight sections. She deeply stamped the edges with horizontal lines for an elegant finish.

Gold Overlay Jewelry by Cowboy Artist: Bruce Morgan

Award-winning Navajo artist and jeweler Bruce Morgan mainly works with gold and silver. His pieces are prized by many collectors not only in the US, but around the world. When not making jewelry, he spends time with his horses in his ranch—a true cowboy artist, indeed. His creations are distinctive for their gold and silver overlay technique, and some of his best-selling pieces are storyteller bracelets depicting traditional Pueblo and Navajo pastoral scenes. Bruce has been designing jewelry since he was 15 years old, and he started in his school’s silversmithing class.

The extremely clean and distinctive stamp work sets every gold overlay jewelry by Bruce Morgan apart from the pieces made by other Navajo artists. His pieces never fail to appeal to many different collectors, too, as they are naturally captivating and versatile. Solid 14K gold over sterling silver bracelets are among his best-sellers, where every piece features a unique design. Bruce Morgan gold overlay bracelets are heavy gauge pieces that are made by hand and skillfully crafted with details inside and outside. Some pieces have dark oxidation on the gold to draw attention to them.

Bruce Morgan makes solid 14K gold over sterling silver storyteller rings, too. Despite the size, the rings are extremely detailed with gold cutouts depicting the scenes over oxidized sterling silver, which helps bring out the design. Some of his bracelets and rings feature a basket weave design, which he accomplished by deeply stamping the gold in an interweaving pattern and further emphasized with deep oxidation on sterling silver. 

You can purchase authentic Bruce Morgan gold overlay jewelry online, but make sure to buy only from an established and reputable retailer authorized to carry his pieces. The best retailers provide a certificate of authenticity with every gold overlay jewelry sold to assure collectors of his name and tribal affiliation, the item’s retail value, and the materials he used to create the piece.