The beautiful works in silver and turquoise jewelry that we visualize when we think about Southwestern Native American jewelry are the result of a century and a half of innovation. The working of metal into jewelry by Natives of the Southwest is credited first to the Navajo. The first Navajo to learn the art of metalwork is said to be Atsidi Sani, although others may have been dabbling in the trade. It was certainly Atsidi Sani who was the most prolific blacksmith.
As a younger man in the early 1850’s, Atsidi Sani wanted to learn the blacksmith’s trade and corner the Navajo market, as there were few, if any Native blacksmiths at this time. Atsidi Sani sought out a Mexican Blacksmith, Nakai Tsosi, learned the craft from him, and subsequently taught his sons. There was not much profit in jewelry making in that day. The primary output from the forges were knives, bits, and bridle parts. It was not until the Navajo / American war, when the Navajo were defeated by Kit Carson and force-marched to Bosque Redondo in 1863, that jewelry making began to gain a foothold.
At Bosque, the Navajo had access to copper. By the time the Navajo were allowed to return to their homeland, there were a few smiths with a talent for jewelry making, and more were learning. Early work was almost exclusively in copper, but silver was preferred and became more available in the form of American and Mexican coin that the Navajo obtained from trade with Mexicans, Pueblos, and early American traders who were beginning to establish posts on the new reservation.
The craftsmanship involved was incredible. Tools were hard to come by. Stamps, metal shears, and the like were often fashioned from old files or other implements that could be had through trade. There were no acetylene torches or ready-made solders. Pieces that required soldering were arranged together in the coals of the fire with a home made solder of silver and brass filings and heated with a bellows. The lucky silversmith retrieved the finish piece; the not so lucky one was left with a blob of twisted metal.
source: http://www.camerontradingpost.com/silversmithing.html
