Eugene and Martha Jackson, Diné Jewelers

Diné artist Eugene Jackson and his wife Martha take traditional Navajo designs and give them a classic modern look.   The story of Eugene and Martha Jackson is one that illustrates the importance of jewelry making to the people of the Navajo Nation.

Eugene Jackson was born in 1932 in Jeddito, Arizona. After high school, he served in the US Army during the Korean War. He learned to make jewelry from Kenneth Begay at Navajo Community College and worked making jewelry to put his wife Martha and their five children through school. Martha earned a master’s degree at the University of Arizona and taught linguistics and literature at Diné College. She enjoyed assisting her husband in making jewelry. Eugene taught his children the art of jewelry making. His son Dan Jackson is an award-winning silversmith.

Eugene (1932-?) and Martha Jackson (1933-2019) used a hallmark that simply was their last name JACKSON.

Relative Links: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Diné of the Navajo Nation