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

Using one’s imagination, it is easy to recollect the time 20 years ago when the howling coyote was associated with Santa Fe, New Mexico.  He usually was wearing a colorful scarf around his neck.  Apache artist Jan Loco made her contribution to the legend as well.  This is her sterling silver howling coyote, which she named “Loco Coyote.”

The surface finish on the pin is smooth, with scoring to define the feet and tail, a single stamped Spider Woman cross on the body, and a simple circle for the eye and nose.  On the back, she inscribed Apache handmade, Jan Loco, “Loco Coyote” Sterling.

Jan Loco had been adopted by a family at a young age and was not told of her Apache ancestry until she was an adult.  Once learning that 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, she delved into the history and legends of her newly found heritage.  It was then that she began making jewelry with meaningful designs related to the Apache culture. She began making jewelry in the 1980s. Jan Loco has not been producing jewelry lately.  She departed New Mexico some time ago and her whereabouts are unknown.

Condition: very good condition

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

Recommended Reading: Indian Jewelry of the American Southwest by Sarah Peabody and William Turnbaugh

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