Jimmy Poyer

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Jimmy Poyer was born in 1954 close to Mexican Water, Arizona, and was raised near Red Mesa, south of the Four Corners. His traditional Navajo family upbringing gave him a strong sense of values. He attended high school in Shiprock and spent a few semesters at BYU and the University of New Mexico before deciding that college was not the direction he wanted to take. Following his love for travel and music, he spent the next 23 years touring with his Country-Western band. When not on tour, he began working as an apprentice with Jimmy Harrison, a well known Navajo inlayer, who played rhythm guitar in his band.

Using the inlay style he learned from Harrison, Poyer started creating his own unique Native American designs. This new passion for jewelry making coincided with his desire to stop traveling and spend more time with his wife and children. While his jewelry is sold by many fine galleries and museums across the country, he has resisted the temptation to have others produce his work or cast his designs. He proudly crafts each of his designs by hand from sheet silver, wire, and natural stones.

Although he has received no formal training, Poyer enjoys experimenting with which minerals and stones look interesting next to others. Living and working in Farmington, New Mexico, the designs have a contemporary look paired with the organic characteristics of all-natural materials.