Why You Should Choose Sunshine Reeves Jewelry

Daniel Sunshine Reeves is no doubt one of the most popular Navajo jewelry designers today, and his pieces are coveted by both serious collectors as well as jewelry enthusiasts who simply love his bold creations. Whether you are looking for a silver stamped bracelet to wear every day or an ornate, multi-drawer silver jewelry box in which to store your most cherished possessions, you can’t go wrong with a Sunshine Reeves original.

This artist was born in the New Mexico town of Twin Lakes in 1966. He has emerged as an award-winning artist of many talents and a commercially successful jewelry maker. Sunshine developed his silversmithing techniques with the help of his older brothers. When he turned 24, he started innovating designs that would set him apart from other artists.

Today, the Sunshine Reeves collection goes beyond bracelets and other jewelry—it also includes belt buckles, knives, boxes, candle holders, and bowls. This artist’s signature silver stampwork—though rooted in tradition—is inherently forward-thinking, with touches of modernism that make them extremely appealing to jewelry enthusiasts. He follows a lengthy and rather a complex process in creating his unique pieces. In fact, he incorporates 10 to 20 handmade stamps (all unique) on average for a piece of jewelry or a silver box. Each of his pieces, though recognizable as his work, is completely one of a kind.

Among the many highly prestigious awards Sunshine has received are Best of Show (Santa Fe Indian Market in 1997) and Best in Class (the following year). The work of Sunshine Reeves is collected not just in the United States, but all over the world—including Korea, Japan, and many countries in Europe. You will also see his work exhibited in museums and galleries across the country.

Daniel Sunshine Reeves is one of the most prolific creators of heavy sterling silver jewelry today. Make sure to add his hand wrought stamped pieces to your collection.

Rebecca Begay Creates Exclusive Designer Jewelry

Raised traditionally on the Navajo reservation, Rebecca Begay and husband Darryl Dean Begay are some of today’s more internationally successful Native American jewelry designers. This husband and wife team is known for beautiful use of traditional tufa casting—an ancient and complicated Navajo jewelry making technique that involves carving images into soft sandstones (called tufa) to form molds into which the artists pour and harden molten metal. The process is not only difficult but also time consuming. In fact, one image can take an entire day (or more) to carve into a tufa stone. Rebecca and Darryl Dean are famous for their intricate tufa carvings that are inspired by tradition. Both grew up with traditional art (including sand painting and weaving) as part of their lives.

For their fans, the Begays are not just Native American jewelers but also sculptors. Their stunning tufa cast jewelry pieces are indeed made unique by complex reliefs of animals, humans, plants, and many other symbols—each piece being of miniature sculptural quality. Rebecca Begay and Darryl Begay are likewise famous for using 18kt gold and silver. Their jewelry pieces incorporate only the very best quality natural turquoise. When you buy a Rebecca and Darryl Begay piece, you are buying a lifetime investment that you can proudly wear, display, and even pass on to the next generation.

Following the footsteps of Rebecca and Darryl are their two young sons, Robert and Nathan, who are now also training in the art of fine Navajo jewelry making. Robert, is starting to become recognized as a multi-talented Navajo artist at a very young age; in fact, he recently won a major prize at the famous Indian Market for the silver seed pot he made, as well as a prize for one of his paintings.