Lorenzo Shirley, Navajo Silversmith. 2025

Lorenzo Shirley, a full-blood Navajo silversmith from the Wide Ruins Chapterhouse area, learned traditional techniques from his grandfather and continues to create jewelry using tufa casting, sand casting, and lapidary. His first completed piece was a silver squash blossom necklace, and today he works from his family’s land near Klagethoh, Arizona, keeping alive the distinct Navajo style. Lorenzo now mentors his younger sister, apprentice Larissa Shirley, teaching her soldering, inlay, and casting so their family tradition endures.

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Lorenzo’s work reflects the teachings of his family and the traditions of his community. He grew up in the Wide Ruins Chapterhouse district on the Navajo Reservation, speaking Navajo and learning from his elders. His artform, silversmithing, was passed down from his paternal grandfather, who gave him both knowledge and tools. “He taught me that you must have the foundations, spirit, and details—otherwise the work doesn’t have any life,” Lorenzo recalls.

Silversmithing among the Navajo began in the 1800s, when Mexican ironworkers shared techniques. Resourcefulness was essential: coins were melted down for silver, and turquoise was traded with other tribes. Over time, Navajo artists developed their own distinct style, with the squash blossom necklace becoming one of the most recognized forms. Lorenzo’s first completed piece was a silver squash blossom necklace, marking the beginning of his journey.

He first learned silversmithing at age 12, when his grandfather showed him how to do stamping and lapidary work. In his late twenties, he returned to the practice more seriously, again under his grandfather’s guidance. His grandmother, a rug weaver, also shared stories about silversmithing, reinforcing the importance of tradition.

Lorenzo’s work expanded into tufa casting, a process using soft, porous stone found near water sources. He collected his first tufa near the San Francisco Peaks, hauling rocks down the mountain to shape and carve. Designs are cut into the stone with razors and metal tools, creating channels for molten silver to flow. Sometimes cedar ash is used to help the pour. Few artists today can cast the small, delicate pieces Lorenzo now makes with tufa, keeping alive a rare and demanding technique.

In the early years, silver was expensive, so Lorenzo relied on scrap and recycled materials. He still does, though he has added tools like a rolling mill, bead cutters, and wire-pulling equipment. His grandfather’s handmade tools from the 1970s remain part of his practice. While beads are labor-intensive, Lorenzo knows how to make them, preserving the knowledge even if he rarely produces them.

Living near Chambers, Arizona, on his family’s acre of land, Lorenzo balances silversmithing with caring for livestock. Without electricity or running water, his work is grounded in resilience and tradition. “It puts bread on the table,” he says simply, describing the role silversmithing plays in his life. He has sold at major markets like the Heard and Santa Fe, though rising costs have made them less accessible. Today, he works quietly, selling his pieces and focusing on passing the tradition to his family.

His apprentice is his younger sister, Larissa Shirley, who now lives next door. Lorenzo has already taught her soldering, inlay, cabbing, and some tufa casting. Together they will expand her artistry so she can master sand casting, punch and die processes, and other techniques.