Marie Lee
Native American jeweler Marie Lee creates original pieces, elegantly incorporating traditional Navajo jewelry ideals with a fresh perspective. She started creating her quality pieces seven years ago with the help of her mentor, Ivan Howard, an award-winning Diné jeweler.
Now a resident of Albuquerque, Marie is originally from Wide Ruins, Arizona, in the heart of the stunning vistas of the Navajo Nation. She is studying at Central New Mexico Community College and hopes to continue her education to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in business at University of New Mexico.
Currently employed with Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, Marie finds joy in jewelry in her free time. Her refined Naja pendants and bracelets are made by tufa stone casting. Ivan Howard exposed her to old style jewelry design and taught her these skills of this labor intensive and traditional casting of molten silver into hand-carved tufa stone.
Marie’s clients are drawn to her style reflecting elegant strings of necklaces combining Sleeping Beauty Turquoise beads, coral beads, heishi shells and pearls. With her exacting standards of quality and careful selection of these treasures of Mother Earth, Marie creates one-of-a-kind works of contemporary and collectible Navajo jewelry.