Rings, 14kt gold with various precious stones, various sizes
24. Yazzie Johnson (b. 1946) and Gail Bird (b. 1949), "Rings," 18kt gold with various precious stones, various sizes
December 24, 2020
Yazzie Johnson (b. 1946) and Gail Bird (b. 1949)
December 24, 2020
"The jewelry they produce is distinct from the work of other American Indian jewelers...Over their career of more than three decades, Gail and Yazzie have developed a body of work that is both distinctly their own and continuously evolving" -Martha Hopkins Struever
Since 1972 Yazzie Johnson and Gail Bird have collaboratively defined contemporary American Indian jewlery. By combining unusual stones with silver and gold and their inspiration from the pictorial past of the American Southwest, they have developed a distinctive style sought after for its meticulous craftsmanship and strikingly modern design. Using a variety of early metalsmithing techniques, Johnson and Bird have translated their elegant designs into earrings, pendants, necklaces, belts and belt buckles.
Yazzie Johnson and Gail Bird (b. 1946; 1949), Rings, 14kt gold with various precious stones, various sizes
Ring, d. 2019, star strawberry quarts with pink tourmaline and 18kt gold, size 8-1/2, OC311-91
Cufflinks, Black Mexican lace agate with 18kt gold, 5/8 x 3/4 inches and 3/4 x 3/4 inches, OC311-119
Post Earrings, d. 2020, tourmaline in quartz with star ruby and 18kt gold, 1-1/4 x 3/4 inches each, OC311-111
Coral and Silver Necklace with Spiney Oyster Shell Clasps, d. 1991, with French-Canadian Fur Trader's Cross, c. 1800s, OC353-5
Earrings, d. 2020, garnet and crystal Brazilian agate with 18kt gold 1 3/8 x 1 inches - each, OC311-137
Earrings, d. 2020, rainbow moonstone and freshwater pearl with 18kt gold, 1 1/4 x 3/4 inches - each, OC311-135
Earrings, garnet and crystal Brazilian agate with 18kt gold, 1-3/8 x 1 inches - each, OC311-138
Post Earrings, d. 2020, cuprite and fossil palm with 18kt gold, 1-1/4 x 5/8 inches each, OC311-113
Necklace, d. 2019, South Seas pearls with star ruby, ruby and sunstone with tufa-cast accents and 18kt gold, 19 inches long, OC311-1
Necklace, d. 2020, tourmalinated quartz and Montana agate with 18kt gold 19 inches long, OC311-129
Bracelet, snakeskin agate and hammered sterling silver with 18kt gold (size large), OC311-149
Pin, d. 2019, dendritic dursy agate with fire agate tufa cast with 18 kt gold, 1 x 3 1⁄4 inches, OC311-80
Pendant, d. 2020, Montana agate with grossular garnet and 18kt gold, 2-1/4 x 1-5/8 inches, OC311-81