It’s been more than a year since artists gathered for a full Heard Museum Guild Indian Fair & Market. One of the artists excited and ready to return to the Phoenix event is Diné (Navajo) silversmith Jeff DeMent, who credits the arts not only for his current career, but also his life.
In preparation for our meeting, I sat down at my computer to browse his website. As an avid jewelry collector myself, I always have a hard time resisting the urge to add to my collection each time I encounter the work of a new (to me) talented jeweler, and DeMent’s work was no exception. I was immediately struck by the cohesive design elements and stylistic continuity as I browsed his online portfolio. His work marries traditional with contemporary in a very sleek and timeless fashion, all while maintaining a distinct personal aesthetic.
Necklace with sterling silver tufa-casted beads and Kingman turquoise nugget beads, and Hero Twins pendant made from sterling silver, Mediterranean coral and Morenci turquoise
I was surprised to learn that the artist has been making jewelry for less than six years, as the work on his website demonstrates an incredible amount of skill and expertise that one might acquire through several decades of experience. Before becoming a full-time artist, DeMent served in the military for 16 years. “I grew up on a ranch in the Ozarks of southern Missouri,” he says. “As a kid I worked in the logging industry, and I joined the military to pay my own way through college.”
During his time in the military, which he jokingly refers to as his past life, DeMent performed combat and anti-terrorism operations as a combat engineer in a SAPPER unit, and later military police. Additionally, he participated in humanitarian service missions, trained military and law enforcement in firearms and SWAT tactics, and combat operations. DeMent also partnered in starting a successful private company where he trained personnel in close-quarters combat, survival and land navigation, and sniper/observer operations in partnership with Special Operations Tactical Training International. He also taught civilians about concealed carry and use of force, and functioned as a high-profile security and executive protection contractor.
In 2011 he sustained serious career-ending injuries in the line of duty and spent almost three years in a medical hold/recovery status before being medically discharged from the military in July 2014. After separating from the military, DeMent started working with turquoise and silver, learning tufa casting to reconnect with his culture and to find peace. DeMent shares, “My military career was over, and I felt like I had lost my purpose. I had hit rock bottom, starting my life over, dealing with serious injuries and searching for new direction. I started to make tufa-cast silver and turquoise jewelry to reconnect with my culture and my spirituality. Creating jewelry gave me a new purpose and reason to live. It saved my life.”
Tufa-cast sterling silver bracelet with Grasshopper turquoise
Silver jewelry made by Jeff DeMent.
While DeMent grew up in the Ozarks, he made trips to the Southwest whenever possible before moving there for good in 2016. People often ask how he ended up in Missouri. “My mother, Grace, was a residential school survivor who was adopted at 6 years old. When she was 10, her adopted family moved to Missouri but thankfully kept her in close contact with her biological family near Two Grey Hills, New Mexico. My mom would bring us to visit family on the Navajo Nation whenever possible. I remember going into galleries as a kid, seeing the amazing silver and turquoise jewelry. It seemed so far out of reach.” DeMent is a first-generation, self-taught jeweler. He now creates from his home studio just north of Santa Fe.
When I asked him about his inspiration, he emphasized the importance of his Diné heritage and the desire to live with integrity and to represent his Native culture in a positive way. He also draws a great deal of inspiration from the materials themselves. Some of my favorite pieces are his unique naja pendant necklaces. When I asked DeMent about these works, he explained that his original naja shape was inspired by the teardrop form of a particular piece of turquoise. “Often the pieces show me what they want to be,” he adds.
Sterling silver lightning arrow belt buckle
Sterling silver Hero Twins figure created using 3D printing, lost-wax casting and hand fabrication, 3”
His work is also greatly influenced by his background in the military. He shares that he learned attention to detail during his time in combat, which manifests in his work and was evident to me from the images on his site. While he is a bit of a perfectionist, there is a great beauty in the perfect imperfection of his work. He describes his personal style as “rugged yet refined.” DeMent further elaborates that he would like his jewelry to be versatile—something that could be worn by someone daily, “working on a ranch or attending an elegant dinner party.” On this same note, he describes the patina on some of his pieces as “battle worn,” thereby communicating a message of strength and perseverance.
One of the most distinct design elements that I was eager to ask about was the lightning arrow. DeMent described this symbol as his signature design. Inspired by the Diné story of the Hero Twins (a story that is typically only told during the winter, so I won’t include details here). DeMent incorporates this symbol to represent strength and a continuous forward momentum. He explains that the story resonated with him at a pivotal moment in his life after his military career ended, but that many people feel that they connect with it—aren’t we all just doing a bit of zigzagging as we look for the best path forward through life? DeMent comparatively referred to this as “the path of least resistance,” an element of close-quarters battle.
Hero Twins silver pendant with turquoise and tritium
Silver tufa-cast bracelet with coral and turquoise
When I asked DeMent about the Heard market and future projects, he says that he would like to work on more fashion and textile collaborations. In 2020, he collaborated with fashion designer Penny Singer on a beautiful cape that won a judge’s choice award and first place in personal attire at the market. DeMent mentions that he looks forward to more design collaborations in the coming years and hints that he might (hopefully) have a few projects with Native-owned companies on the horizon.
Jeff DeMent in his New Mexico studio.
DeMent also expressed an interest in learning to incorporate computer-aided design and 3D printing into his work—another impressive self-taught pursuit. “As a kid, I wanted to become an architect or an engineer,” he says. “I loved the mechanical workings of things.” These computer-designed elements will still be completely fabricated, created and hand-finished by the artist, combined with traditional tufa casting. He explains that he is currently thinking a lot about how to connect the past, present and future in his work to create pieces that are “timeless and authentic, while bringing traditional Diné tufa casting into the 21st century.” He further explains that through his new work, he wants to emphasize the fact that as Native people, “We are not relics of the past—we’re constantly changing, growing and evolving. When our ancestors started silversmithing in the 1800s they were using the best tools and technology available to them at that time. It’s 2022, we should be doing the same.” It is also his hope that, by incorporating more technology in his practice, he can make his work available to a broader audience through more accessible price points and an expanded inventory. He is currently in the process of constructing a new, modern home studio to support this work.
Jeff DeMent on deployment in Iraq. The artist spent 16 years in the military before becoming an artist.
You can expect to see some new techniques that bridge traditional techniques with contemporary approaches at his booth this market (find him in Booth H-01). I also expect we will continue to see his familiar lightning arrow design as well. As we wrapped up our conversation, I asked DeMent what he is most looking forward to at the Heard, he responded “sunshine, and connecting with friends and fellow artists—I’m very thankful to be here, little Jeffrey DeMent, showing at the Heard Museum alongside the best artists in the world.” —
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