Terrance and Dorothy Emery, Chippewa Silversmiths

Chippewa artist Terrance Emery and his wife Dorothy collaborate in the creation process to produce amazing and wearable jewelry. Terrance (1954-2012) and Dorothy Emery sign their creations with their initials and last name as D/T Emery.

In Gregory Schaaf’s book American Indian Jewelry II: A-L 1,800 Artist Biographies:

“Terrance Emery was born and raised on the St. Croix Ojibwa Reservation in Northern Wisconsin. He is from the Marten Clan known as the ‘skilled craftsman and soldier of the tribe.’ Terrance was taught traditional arts used in ceremonies and dances by his relatives. He is proficient in woodland-style beadwork, leatherwork and other Ojibwa crafts such as pipe making. Terrance became interested in silversmithing in the 1970s when he moved to New Mexico. He developed his own contemporary style and uses techniques such as overlay, lapidary and tufa casting.”

Dorothy is a member of Jemez Pueblo. She collaborates with her husband in the creation of high-quality jewelry. They have been working together since the early 1990s.

In a recent conversation with Terrance’s son, Terrance Jr. shared that his father moved to Albuquerque from Wisconsin in 1970 to attend Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. He made jewelry for more than thirty years, attending native art shows and pow-wows across the US. He taught his son the art of jewelry making.

TAGS: Southwest Indian Jewelry, Chippewa, Jemez Pueblo, Walatowa