Wes Willie

Wes Willie was born and raised on the Dine reservation in Arizona. His maternal clan is the bear clan and his paternal clan is deer springs clan. Wes was a journeyman welder for 15 years where he worked with metals like stainless and carbon steel. He always had an interest in jewelry making, artists Charles Loloma and Jessie Monongya inspired him. Wes started making jewelry full time in 1993. He is a self-taught silversmith. His inlay work is done with high grade stones and sometimes gold. Wes now has a lapidary shop in Farmington, New Mexico.