“Making jewelry gives me unlimited joy,” says Leon.
Navajo artist Leon Martinez began his jewelry career in the early 1970’s and is considered one of the most celebrated Native American jewelry artists, winning first place awards several times at the Navajo Nation Fair and Gallup Intertribal Ceremonial. Influenced by his jewelry-making parents, Leo and Edith Martinez, Leon began at the young age of nine assisting with buffering, soldering and setting stones. He also helped his parents make squash blossom necklaces, rings, and bracelets during the high demand for Indian Jewelry in the 1970s. Soon, making jewelry became a passion for Leon and his talent grew enormously. A hard-working self-starter, Leon uses nature as inspiration. From plants, to flowers, to rocks, to landscapes, he looks at everything in his environment for his design ideas.