McKEE PLATERO (Navajo, b.1957)

McKee Platero is a Navajo silversmith who resides on the Navajo Reservation southwest of Gallup, his birthplace. A leading contemporary master of repoussé, punchwork, and stamp work, Platero is one of the leading Native American jewelers working today. He comes from a long lineage of respected silversmiths—both his grandfather and uncles, Jack Adakai and Austin Wilson, were well-respected for their craft. 

Platero’s work is celebrated for being traditional yet drawing on contemporary elements at the same time. His jewelry draws on current events, nature, and surroundings as inspiration. In his practice, Platero works with heavy-gauge silver, sometimes ingot, and makes his stamps, hand hammering every piece and using chisels to define the silver.

Visit our Native American Collection page to see jewelry from our inventory of exquisite Native American jewelry and purchase the catalog Material Beauty: Modern Hopi, Navajo, and Pueblo Artist Jewelers, which accompanied our 2018 exhibition here.