Tommy Jackson

Born in 1958, Tommy Jackson comes from a long line of jewelers and silversmiths including a great uncle, his uncle Dan Jackson and his parents, Gene and Martha Jackson. His formal education began with jewelry classes at Chinle Highschool and he continued his training with his father. At the encouragement of his mother who holds a PhD and teaches linguistics at Dine College in Tsalie, Arizona, Tommy went on to a degree in education and began teaching elementary school on the Navajo Reservation in Wide Ruins, Arizona.

But Tommy continued making jewelry and since the mid-1980's has had dozens of exhibitions and won countless awards at the annual Santa Fe Indian Market and Inter-tribal Indian Ceremonial in Gallup, New Mexico. He has demonstrated silversmithing at the Heard Museum in Phoenix and at the Salt Lake City Olympics. In 2002 he gave up teaching and became a full-time silversmith.

His work can be found at exhibitions and private collections around the world. His styles range from classic,  heavy Navajo silver to exquisite contemporary works with simple lines that showcase the stones. While he works with a variety of stones, he is well known for his use of turquoise from exclusively American mines such as Bisbee, Carico Lake, Landers, Royston, #8 and Blue Gem.

Tommy and his wife Marie, who is also a well-respected silversmith, have 7 children, several grandchildren, and live and work in Ganado, Arizona.