Apache Artist Jan Loco Sterling Silver “Loco Thunderbird” Pin [SOLD]

This sterling silver pin in the shape of a Thunderbird by Apache artist Jan Loco has a smooth polished finish with stamped triangles on the edges of the feathers.  A Spider Woman cross is stamped on the bird's central region.  The only other departure from the smooth finish is the stamped circle for the bird’s eye.  Inscribed on the back of the pin is Apache Handmade, J. Loco, ™  “Loco Thunderbird” Sterling.

Jan Loco (b.1949-) began making jewelry in 1988. She developed a unique method of creating jewelry without the use of power tools. Using only heavy-duty shears, she cut and fashioned her piece to the desired shape, after which she hammered it with a specially selected rock until she achieved the desired texture. This is a laborious task, but she felt it honored her ancestry to use items of nature rather than power tools.

Jan Loco became interested in Apache symbolism and legend when, as a young adult, she discovered her Apache ancestry. Her work is inspired by the stories of her ancestors, incorporating designs reflecting the heavens, Apache legends, as well as plants and animals of the Apache homeland. She did not learn of her Warm Springs Apache heritage from her adoptive parents until she was an adult. It was then that she learned she was the great-granddaughter of Chief Loco, one of the last of the Apache chiefs, who had been imprisoned in Florida in 1886 by the U. S. government.

Condition: excellent condition

Provenance: this Apache Artist Jan Loco Sterling Silver "Loco Thunderbird" Pin is from the collection of a Santa Fe resident

Recommended Reading: American Indian Jewelry II: A-L, 1,800 Artist Biographies by Gregory Schaaf

Relative Links: jewelry, Apache, Jan Loco, Apache Jeweler