Richard Tsosie Navajo Cobblestone inlay Tufa cast belt buckle. 2 5/8" x 2", takes up to a 1.25" belt.
Artists › Richard Tsosie
Richard is perhaps best known for his distinctive textured silver designs. His
trademark techniqie of granulation was discovered by accident when he noticed
silver filings were fusing onto a ring he was soldering. He calls the process
which produces this granulated surface texture “reticulation,” and he has been
perfecting the technique throughout his career.
Born in 1956, Richard has been a jeweler since the mid 1970s. He learned jewelry
making from his brother Boyd and from Kenneth Begay at Navajo Community College
in Arizona. He quickly progressed from basic tasks of cutting and polishing
stones to the more complex process of inlay.
Richard’s contemporary silver and hold work features the use of fabrication,
overlay, and granulation. He is also known for colorful inlay work with a
variety of natural stones and for his fine degree of control and attention to
detail. His designs are motivated by images of the natural world, particularly
the Wide Ruins area of the reservation where he spent a large part of his youth.
Richard says of his work, “I am inspired by the colors of the mountains at
sunset, the patterns of shadow and light that emerge at dawn, and the pinpoints
of starlight against the black night sky.”
His pieces typically contain the symbol for lighting and an arrow pattern. The
lightning stands for natural causes, while the arrowhead symbolizes man-made
elements. Richard says the design represents the ups and downs of life. “Some
things we can’t do anything about and you should try to enjoy life to the
fullest.”
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