Jennifer Curtis

As a child, Jennifer Curtis used to sit and watch her father, silversmith Thomas Curtis at work. He'd let her handle his tools and supervised her when she attempted soldering, but in spite of his gentle attention and encouragement, she never intended to be come a silversmith herself.

Her goal was to study architecture or drafting, and after highschool, Jennifer did get her degree in drafting. Unsure of where to go next, Jennifer moved to Studio City in California for a few months and then Sedona, Arizona trying to find herself. She returned in the summer of 1990 to the Navajo Reservation and helped her father prepare for Indian Market. She made her first pieces that summer which were earrings.

One of 5 children, Jennifer Curtis is the only one who has worked with her father full time. She has also proven to be one of the few women in Indian Market competitions who consistently win awards. Over the years she has won numerous First Place awards for her pieces. One of those pieces was a squash blossom necklace that was so tedious and difficult to create that she almost threw it out.

"The best part of being a silversmith is that I get to meet lots of really great people" says Jennifer. "I've experienced goodness in other people and happiness in myself. With creativity in mind and destiny at your fingertips, then paradise is in the heart, not in Hawaii."

Jennifer Curtis lives and works in Santa Fe, New Mexico.