Vintage 14K gold opal Pendant by Navajo J Nelson. 4.5 grams 1.5" long x 7/16" wide at base, no damage. Made in the last quarter of the 20th century.
Award winning Diné artist Jerry T. Nelson is known for channel inlay turquoise. Interestingly, his designs are a combination of Diné of the Navajo Nation, Hopi, and Zuni styles. He has been honored with awards at Gallup Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial.
Although artist Jerry T. Nelson is Diné, he was born in 1959 at Keams Canyon, Arizona, on the Hopi Reservation. That could explain his exposure to Hopi overlay silver work. He now lives in one of the towns named Canoncito, New Mexico. As is frequently observed, several communities have the same name. There are six known locations in New Mexico named Canoncito- in Mora, Bernalillo, Rio Arriba, San Miguel, Santa Fe and Taos Counties. So, the location of Jerry Nelson is not exactly known.
