Santo Domingo Pueblo

 

Emery Calabaza was born in 1958 into the Santo Domingo Pueblo. He was inspired on his own to make jewelry. He began hand making his jewelry in 1973 at the age of 15. Emery is a self taught jeweler. He was also inspired by his creativity and economic motivation.

Emery specializes in hand cut wafer stone jewelry. He will search for raw chunks of turquoise or jet (hardened coal). He slices and grinds down the chunks of stone into small flat round wafers that he can string into beautiful necklaces, and earrings. Emery’s quality of work in wafer stone cutting is one of the finest you can find today. He makes the single, double, and triple strand necklaces. Emery does not sign his name on his work because it is impossible to carve it anywhere on his jewelry.

Emery is related to the following artists: Lita Lovato (cousin) and Thomas Calabaza (uncle).