Tribe: Northern Arapaho and najavo

Art form: jewelry

The artist:

Grayson is an emerging Arapaho and Navajo jewelry artist. What started as curiosity quickly turned into passion as he learned different techniques for designing and assembling handmade pieces.

His journey into jewelry-making began when his mother was teaching his sister, Elana, how to make earrings. Interested in learning, Grayson asked his sister to teach him. Once she showed him the process, he spent two straight days making pairs of earrings.

Originally, Grayson started selling his work to earn extra pocket money, but after seeing people genuinely connect with and want to purchase his jewelry, he became even more motivated to continue growing as an artist. He began investing in new beads, stones, and materials to expand his work into necklaces and other handcrafted pieces.

During spring break, Grayson discovered that his grandfather, a Navajo silversmith, carried on a long tradition of Native artistry. Inspired by this connection to his heritage, Grayson expressed interest in learning silversmithing himself and hopes to continue building those skills under his grandfather’s guidance.

Through participating in craft fairs and markets, Grayson is gaining valuable experience in marketing, customer service, and entrepreneurship. In addition to his featured collections, he is open to creating custom orders; he loves creating pieces that reflect personal style and meaning.