Matthew Charley

Growing up on the Navajo Reservation in New Mexico, Matthew is well versed in the strength and beauty of the Diné history and culture. For inspiration he often looks to and draws upon the powerful and divine story of his people as well as the natural textures often found within a stone’s throw of his home — giving his pieces their most attractive attributes. In the words of Mr. Charley, “Tradition is passed through it, culture is passed through it, the history of our people is tied within the art; our people had style back then, we wanted our outfits to be complimented with nice jewelry; just look back at the old photos and you’ll see the jewelry worn in it’s most purest and earliest form, the jewelry is home to them and seeing that is what inspires me”.

 His pieces have been housed in numerous museums across the country, they have been cited in several magazines and earned multiple ribbons at the 2018 Santa Fe Indian Market Show. His buyers along with his pieces may be found all across the globe.

Matthew hopes to create a honorable and stirring legacy; a legacy that will one day empower the Diné people with the ability to reclaim the traditional craftsmanship of Navajo jewelry. However, he believes that will be for them to decide, as Matthew noted, “that’s for the people to determine, the next generations, but for me right now it’s just perfecting my craft and allowing the art and my culture to live on through my pieces”.

Carico Lake Turquoise
Carico Lake turquoise is named after the mine’s location on a dried-up lake bed in a high altitude area of Lander County, Nevada.  Carico Lake Turquoise can come in bright blue and bright green colors. Some Carico Lake stones can even contain both green and blue tones. The stone's bright green color is due to high zinc content and is very unique and collectible. Some consider the green version of Carico Lake Turquoise to be a form of "Faustite"- though there is some debate about this. While the mine has produced a fair amount of turquoise over the years, the lime green stone is very valuable due to its rarity and demand.