PRECISION IN STONE
Contemporary and historic jewelry is on view at Waddell Gallery.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ
Big art shows have a way of boosting the art economy around them in wonderful ways, and that can certainly be seen with the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. The show brings thousands of collectors to Phoenix to walk the hundreds of booths and browse the artwork available from artists around the country, but the show only runs two days and closes in the afternoon, leaving lots of opportunities for nearby galleries to present exhibitions of their own.
One venue doing just that is Waddell Gallery in Scottsdale, which will open a stunning new jewelry exhibition on March 1, from 6 to 9 p.m. The show will feature more than 50 works of the highest-quality jewelry pieces including rings, bracelets, pendants, necklaces, buckles and bolos. Works include new designs from the top artists such as Jesse Monongya and Richard Chavez, as well as historic pieces by Charles Loloma.
“We started putting this show together months ago and quickly realized we had a wonderful selection of jewelry to present to our collectors,” says gallery owner Gene Waddell. “We are bringing the best of the best, including several artists who we represent, as well as some artists who will be at the opening. The work is exquisite and we’re happy to have it for what is going to be an exciting weekend.”
One of the highlights of the show is a meticulously crafted gold pendant by Navajo and Hopi jeweler Monongya, who has used a rare and massive piece of gem-quality Bisbee turquoise that measures in at more than 700 carats. “This is the largest Bisbee specimen of this quality that I’ve ever seen,” Waddell says. “The turquoise is amazing.”
In addition to the stunning Bisbee turquoise, the Monongya piece also has an elaborate 14-karat gold design, with flowers and a teeth-like wave pattern, around one side of the stone. The dealer says that the piece was made for a good friend and collector in San Francisco who promised to sell the jewelry to Waddell when the time was right. The California collector eventually brought a dozen pieces for the gallery owner to sell.
A second Monongya piece is a 14-karat gold coral necklace with dragonfly charms. The main dragonfly
charm has intricate inlay on the wings and body and provides a motif that echoes in gold around the rest of the necklace.
Another work that will be available is San Felipe jeweler Richard Chavez’s 18-karat gold bolo inlaid with black jade, Morenci turquoise and coral. “Richard is very modern and very contemporary and he’ll use coral and turquoise, of course, but in some pieces he’ll also use Wyoming black jade and other rare materials,” Waddell says. “He comes up with interesting things for sure.”
Hopi jeweler Charles Supplee will be represented in the show by an 18-karat gold bracelet inlaid with black jade, Morenci turquoise and gel sugilite. The bracelet showcases Supplee’s careful design, with abstract forms arranged at intervals around the gold band.
An older piece that will be available is a bracelet by Hopi master jeweler Charles Loloma, whose works brought great national and international attention to Native American jewelry beginning in the 1950s. The bracelet Waddell, who was friends and did business with Loloma, is offering is done in 14-karat gold with inlay on the inside done in lapis and turquoise. On the outside of the bracelet is a keyhole-like cutout that reveals the intricate inlay on the inside. “The beauty is on the inside, not on the outside. The beauty can be hidden away so only the owner knows it’s there,” Waddell says. “We actually have two of these bracelets, a gold one and a silver one.”
Waddell’s gallery, long known as a go-to source for high-end Native jewelry, not only brings collectors to top-quality jewelry, it also brings some of the best
turquoise to its artists, who can then use it in pieces they create for the gallery. Waddell, who owns a stake in the Lone Mountain Mine in Nevada, says the gallery show will highlight several major works that demonstrate the beauty of Lone Mountain. “You’ll see some great Lone Mountain turquoise, but also some beautiful Bisbee and Lander Blue, which was only mined for a very short amount of time and only about 100 pounds of it came out of the ground,” Waddell says. “These are prized stones and you’ll see them presented beautifully in some incredible works.”
Other artists in the show include Navajo jeweler Lee Yazzie, who is known for his incredible silverwork and intricate buckles with turquoise, and Navajo artist Michael Roanhorse, who works in a more modern style with elaborate pieces that are more sculptural in nature. Last year Roanhorse won top honors in the jewelry division at the Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market.