SALE FOR ONE RING-CHOOSE BETWEEN SONORAN GOLD (Size 7-1/2) OR KAZAKHSTAN(Size 8-1/2)

ABOUT JESS MARTINEZ: (SONORAN GOLD TURQUOISE RING)

You might say that the art of making traditional Navajo jewelry is in Jess Martinez's blood. After all, when your father is the well known master Navajo artisan "Leon Martinez" & your uncles happen to be Rick,Terry & Calvin Martinez, then jewelry making was something you couldn't hide from..In a household like theirs, you lived & breathed jewelry, you talked jewelry,your life was surrounded by jewelry,day in & day out, morning, noon & night..

Fairly new to the industry, 32 year old Jess studied under Leon by watching,listening & learning..He taught him all the ropes & when the time was right,he let him get his hands wet by showing him how to solder, how to set stones,teaching him how to finish the sterling,so Jess could then branch off & start making a name for himself..

What you'll get from Jess's work is jewelry made with a traditional Navajo edge,but with a modern day look..He's an artist with great potential & definitely one that's on his way upwards in the industry!

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ABOUT LEON MARTINEZ: (KAZAKHSTAN-GOLDEN HILLS TURQUOISE RING)

Nothing can be said about Leon without mentioning something about his family ties.

1st influenced by their mother & father,(who were also artists) Leon's immediate siblings happen to be "CALVIN,RICK & TERRY MARTINEZ" & his sister is the well known "READDA BEGAY" who is married to Ernest Begay Sr.(another well known,sought after artist) Leon is also the cousin of the late & much missed artist "KIRK SMITH"..Each of these family members are sought out for their unique traditional Navajo jewelry they bring to the table & you can see many similarities in their work.

It was the late "HARRY MORGAN" however who taught Leon just like he did Kirk Smith & it was Harry who laid the path & taught him a lot of the ropes about how to give Navajo jewelry a look as if the piece was made from decades ago. Harry was the 1st that brought Navajo jewelry to the market as if it was made in the 40’s & was the one who was also responsible for giving the sterling those heavily oxidized finishing’s that are now known as "Vintage Revival" as if the piece is aged.This is the style of jewelry that Leon has continued making & you'll find in every piece made..Never will you see in his pieces,high polished contemporary finishes with the sterling.

Having developed his own ''signature style",Leon has been at it now for over 30 years. What you're going to get in Leon's jewelry are time consuming made pieces,where they're made with precision,where literally everything that's apart of the piece,is still done with the power of the hand,just like his ancestors did..Everything will be made from scratch,with nothing being used by pre-made commercial manufactures.. He's all about using heavier gauge sterling, using only the highest quality natural stones available on the market & then each are hand finished in a "Vintage Revival" style finished sterling..

Earning ribbons at the Navajo Nation Fair in Window Rock, AZ & Gallup Ceremonial,his work also has been featured in the highly read "Cowboys & Indians" magazine & his jewelry exhibited in Museums..I am extremely proud to bring an artist of this magnitude to you,where you will experience what traditional "Fine" Navajo jewelry really feels like,with unmatched superb quality throughout! Leon's work is highly collectible & demands top dollar.