Jennifer Sihvonen is a nationally known jeweler with a reputation for excellence in
craftsmanship and uniqueness in design. Her work is in museum and private
collections, including a showcase piece purchased for the permanent collection of
the Albuquerque Museum. She received the honor of being the first jeweler
awarded Best of Jewelry and Best of Show at the prestigious Taos Fall Arts
Festival’s “Taos invites Taos” 2001 show. In the 2003 show she was again
awarded Best of Jewelry and in 2008 she was included in the Living Masters
category of the show. In 2018 she was included in the show “American Jewelry
from New Mexico” at the Albuquerque Museum.
Working primarily in silver, she uses stamping, chasing and fabrication techniques
along with inlaid and set stones to create her pieces. Mastering stone cutting,
lapidary work, allowed her more complete freedom of design. Her jewelry designs
evolve naturally with a new idea or possibility revealing itself as she works.
Born in New York City, Jennifer has lived in Taos, New Mexico since she was nine
months old. She is a second generation Taos artist, her father, Oli Sihvonen, a
painter, was one of the original Taos Moderns and her mother Joan Loveless was a
weaver and a writer.
Jennifer began making jewelry in the early 1970’s while living at the Brown house
with friends Seth, Kinlock and Lorelei Brown, Michael, Patrick and Sherry
Ohlinger, and Jeffrey Morris. In the mid 1970’s the group moved to the Mabel
Dodge Luhan House in Taos along with some other jewelers. They became known
as the Sterling Smiths at The Big House.