Rebecca Begay Jewelry: Traditional Jewelry Suitable for All Occasions

Since childhood, Rebecca Begay has been exposed to traditional creative practices that have helped develop her interest and skill in creating some of the finest pieces of Native American jewelry available. Her husband, Darryl Dean Begay, is a talented jewelry maker and craftsman, too, and he taught her art and style that he learned from equally known mentors such as Raymond Yazzie and Timothy Begay. Rebecca Begay jewelry stands out with distinctly feminine touches and gorgeous natural materials, which typically include rare gem grade turquoise set in tufa cast silver with gold accents. Many of her pieces feature floral designs, which are accented with her use of high grade gems and metal.

Working with tufa enables Rebecca to make abstract and pictorial designs from her drawings. She carves them out personally before casting the piece. Tufa is a soft material, so it can be challenging to make multiple casts from every carving. Hence, she rarely keeps a lot of inventory in their studio because she often has to carve new molds out of tufa for almost every cast. However, it is through this manner that Rebecca Begay jewelry manages to stand out and be unique, making her creations highly prized by discerning collectors of Native American pieces.

Rebecca Begay jewelry is inspired by who she is as a Navajo woman, a wife, mother, Christian, and an artist. Some of her most notable awards include the 2008 SWAIA Fellowship Recipient and Indian Market Best of Jewelry Classification, and the Indian Market ‘Best of Show’, which she earned with her husband for creating an amazing concha belt. Many of her most sought-after creations are pendants and bracelets. You can find those products being sold by authorized retailers who provide a certificate of authenticity to assure collectors of her tribal affiliation and name, the retail value of the item, and the materials she used in each piece.

 

Elegant Silver Jewelry Designs by Rebecca Begay

Unlike most other master jewelers of her time, Rebecca Begay did not learn the craft from a long family line of silversmiths and jewelry designers. She was taught the art of tufa casting by her husband, Darryl Dean, although being an artist has always been something to which she aspired at an early age. Her background and degree in Secondary Art Education also help her in creating masterful pieces. Begay and her husband Darryl won the highly coveted Santa Fe Indian Market Best of Show award in 2009. Their joint piece was an exquisitely lavish concha belt.

Today, Rebecca is forging her own mark in the Native American art scene through her beautiful tufa cast pieces with a delicate feminine flair. She says that working with tufa enables her to make abstract and pictorial designs using her drawings. Carving out the soft stone to cast a piece is a precise and meticulous process. Because it is often difficult to produce more than one cast from every carved mold, pieces are rarely ever duplicated and never the same. Every cast needs a freshly carved tufa mold to preserve the quality and sharpness of images.

Begay’s work is characterized by delicate femininity. Her designs usually feature floral patterns depicted with great intricacy and attention to detail. Her specialties seem to be floral pendants and cuffs and she also experiments with stone inlays using precious gems and minerals like turquoise. Even with deep influences from her mentor husband’s techniques, Rebecca manages to maintain the delicate nature of her creations, which are now among the most sought after in the market. Collectors from around the world love the intricate ornamentation of her floral designs as well as the soft touch of grace in her pieces. Begay believes that the inspiration for most of her art and creations comes from deep within and this is evident in the innate beauty of her work.

 

Astoundingly Beautiful Jewelry Designs by Liz Wallace

With her wealth of experiences and hunger for new things, Liz Wallace continues to revolutionize the jewelry making world. Her diverse background and unique interests add richness to the work she does, be it painting, creative writing, jewelry making, or even belly dancing. Having studied an entire range of jewelry making techniques, from enameling to blacksmithing, and a variety of other more advanced stone setting techniques, Wallace’s style will always have a trend-setting edge because of the wealth of techniques she can incorporate into her pieces.

Wallace has mastered multiple techniques and media while creating her stunning pieces. She did her fellowship at the Southwest Association on Indian Art where she deepened her knowledge of various jewelry making styles and techniques as well as the history of the art. She strives to use only natural high-grade gemstones in her work, resulting in a unique sense of class and grace.

Known for her classic designs that depict delicate flying creatures like butterflies and dragonflies, Wallace is also fond of creating floral and aquatic designs on top of the turquoise insects she makes. Her work can be found in a long list of galleries and museums across the country.

Wallace’s work represents some of the most exquisite art nouveau and art deco styles you will see in the market. Her pieces are trendy, artful, and extravagant. They make for interesting heirloom pieces and are perfect for setting fashion trends. Her butterfly pins, dragonfly pendants, nature inspired designs, and gemstone-rich pieces all make for excellent statement jewelry to match new fashion trends. Her pieces are equally contemporary and timeless, making them highly collectible.

 

Finding Authentic Darryl Dean Begay Jewelry Online

Fine Navajo jewelry is known for its exquisite details and one-of-a-kind designs. Each piece is painstakingly crafted by Navajo artists like Darryl Dean Begay, who is known for his tufa cast pieces with colors and intricate designs that easily draw attention to them. Authentic Navajo jewelry can be a great investment for serious collectors of Native American jewelry, especially the pieces made by Darryl Dean Begay. However, you need to be wary of fakes and cheap imitations, which have become rampant on various online selling platforms. For this reason, it is highly recommended that you find and buy authentic Darryl Dean Begay jewelry only from established and reputable online stores specializing in Native American jewelry and rare natural American turquoise.

The authenticity of the piece matters if you are a collector of Native American jewelry. Authentic Darryl Dean Begay jewelry is prized by collectors around the world, and each piece has a unique value that can be added to your estate. This way, his jewelry is not merely worn to make a fashion statement, but to raise the value of your collection. Hence, when finding authentic Darryl Dean Begay jewelry or any Native American jewelry online, make sure that it comes with its own certificate of authenticity to assure collectors of the artist’s name and tribal affiliation. The certificate should detail the retail value of the item and the materials used, too.

Established retailers of handmade and authentic Native American jewelry are authorized to carry Darryl Dean Begay’s creations. The same source may have his wife’s creations, too. Both Darryl Dean and Rebecca Begay are known for their traditional tufa cast and silver and gold jewelry that reflect traditional Navajo customs. Their works are distinct with their use of colors from precious stones like lapis lazuli, coral, turquoise, and mother of pearl. Some of Darryl Dean’s most notable creations are bracelets, rings, buckles and bolo ties which reflect his reverence and love of his cultural roots on the Navajo reservation.