About Orville Tsinnie

Orville Tsinnie is a Navajo silversmith from Shiprock, New Mexico. He was born September 30, 1943 in Tuba City, Arizona as son of Ann Yellowhorse. Orville Tsinnie never believed he was particularly artistic, in fact he had never studied silversmithing and was very happy with his job he had as Assistant Director of Personnel for the Navajo Nation when fate stepped in.

He was 27 when he happened to be visiting his sister Roselyn who was married to Hopi silversmith Horace Emerson. When he left, he created his first piece, a pin fashioned in the shape of a squaw, which he inlaid with stones. He was fully equipped with a set of silversmithing tools. Orville soon pursued a purely traditional Navajo style and left the inlay work and Hopi style behind. He is also known for his hand – fabricated and heavy stamp work jewelry. At first, turquoise was his primary stone with incredible silverwork borders, but he now also works in sugilite, dinosaur bone and lapis.

Orville is a perfectionist, hand picking and polishing only highest quality natural stones. He loves to use unusual and rare stones when creating his bold contemporary jewelry using traditional methods. Orville Tsinnie is a master Navajo silversmith who has won numerous awards, including a Lifetime Achievement award from the IACA. He and his wife Darlene work together from their gallery in Shiprock.

We know Orville, his wife and their children since 1990, when we first met them at the Eight Northern Pueblo Arts and Crafts fair.