Turquoise has been known for centuries in Egypt, Mesopotamia, the Indus Valley, and throughout the ancient world. In the Western Hemisphere, the Aztecs utilized quantities of it, and, in the American Southwest, Indigenous peoples have worked with turquoise for more than a millennium. During the last quarter of the 19th century, Diné (Navajo) and Pueblo artists began creating jewelry combining turquoise stones with silver settings — work that is now synonymous with Southwestern artistic expression. Maryhill’s 2022 exhibition of silver and turquoise jewelry features late 20th-century examples drawn from private collections.

Image: Left: Unknown Diné (Navajo) maker, Silver and turquoise bracelet, c. 1980, 4½” x 4” x 2½”; Right: Tommy Singer (Diné [Navajo], 1940–2014), Silver and turquoise bracelet, c. 2000, 2½” x 2¼” x 2”; Private collection