RICHARD CHAVEZ (San Felipe Pueblo, b. 1949)
Richard Chavez is a lapidary artist and jeweler born and raised in San Felipe Pueblo, one of the more conservative, traditional pueblo communities located alongside the Rio Grande River in New Mexico.
It is no wonder that so many great craftsman have come from the San Felipe Pueblo tribe (also known as Katishtya, a Native American tribe belonging to the Keresan-speaking Pueblo people). The San Felipe people take great pride in their rich history, cultural traditions, and strong sense of community. The San Felipe Pueblo is well-known for its traditional arts and crafts, such as pottery, jewelry, and embroidery.
Located in central New Mexico along the Rio Grande, the San Felipe Pueblo was established in the 14th century and is one of the 19 Pueblo tribes of the region. The tribe's cultural and religious practices are deeply connected to their land, and they are dedicated to preserving their language, Keres, as well as their ancestral customs. The San Felipe Pueblo continues to focus on maintaining a balance between economic development and cultural preservation, ensuring the sustainability of their community for generations to come.
As a young man, in the early 1970s, Chavez worked as an architectural draftsman for Harvey S. Hoshour, who had come to Albuquerque after working for renowned German architect Mies Van de Rohe. During that time, he attended University of New Mexico's School of Architecture and began making jewelry in his free time to supplement his income.
Chavez learned how to make heishi and turquoise necklaces from his grandfather, but soon taught himself silver work. He applied the minimalist architectural philosophy he had learned to his jewelry designs, which emphasize purity, sparseness and balance. In 1976, he left his architectural career to pursue jewelry full time.
Chavez uses irregular cuts of stone and carefully selected color schemes to create his contemporary, chic pieces. He uses semi-precious and precious stones with turquoise as an accent color, so his jewelry stands out from other contemporary artists.
From start to finish, each piece of jewelry has many steps involved. Chavez begins with a sketch to determine the design, then solders, sands, cuts, polishes and finishes the lapidary process. Each step is done entirely by him, from purchasing the raw stone to cutting and grinding it into shape and polishing it before it is set in gold or silver. Each stone requires at least 10 steps before it is ready for its final polish and setting.
Chavez’s architectural training provided him with the eye for detail and structure evident in his jewelry. Clean lines and simple geometrical shapes form elegant works of art that stand out from the crowd. His jewelry is modern and crisp by enhancing minimalist design with bright accents of color. This bold look is derived from stones such as lapis lazuli, sugilite, turquoise and red coral.
Chavez has earned name recognition thanks to the high standards he sets for his jewelry. His designs have won numerous awards since his first competition in 1976. In 1990, he stopped entering judged competitions, feeling he no longer required that type of validation. Instead, he finds the positive reactions and comments from the public to be more gratifying than awards.
Of his artwork he says, “When I first got into jewelry-making, my grandfather said, ‘Your talent doesn’t come from you, it comes from some outside source, so don’t ever take it for granted. Make sure you give your thanks and you share that gift that you have.’ So that’s what I try to do.”
In 2017, Heard Museum hosted the retrospective “Symmetry in Stone: The Jewelry of Richard I. Chavez”.
Chavez continues to make commissioned pieces. His work is in many prestigious public and private collections.
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.
