05 Mar IN THE STUDIO: SHOOTING STAR

Cody Sanderson’s jewelry is anything but ordinary. An expert in innovation, the award-winning Diné (Navajo) artist fuses traditional silversmithing techniques with bold, contemporary designs. Known for his signature five-point stars, striking spikes, and sculptural forms, Sanderson’s jewelry has captivated collectors across the globe. With pieces sold in galleries in Tokyo, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sydney, his influence stretches far beyond the Southwest, redefining Native American jewelry for the modern era.

Cody Sanderson inspects a sterling silver bracelet from a workbench at his Santa Fe, New Mexico, studio. Some of Sanderson’s pieces are engraved with his motto, “Evolving Navajo Silver,” and the phrase relates not just to Sanderson’s innovative spirit but to his enthusiastic embrace of new technologies and methodologies in his jewelry-making.

The artist was born in Gallup, New Mexico, in 1964 and raised in Window Rock, Arizona, by a single mother. Sanderson witnessed his mother’s work ethic as she supported her family as a nurse, walking to the hospital in Gallup through all kinds of weather.

One of Sanderson’s work benches displays dapping tools with ball-like tops. “I use laser welders, microscopes, hydraulic press, electric rolling mills, 2-D and 3-D printers, whatever it takes to make my designs come to fruition,” he says.

“Everyone can have a sad story, but seeing my mom’s devotion to her work and to her family was really inspiring,” Sanderson says. He recalls her determination to acquire a special lease to build a house on the Navajo Nation. After three years, she finally received permission and built a family home for her four children. Her example propelled Sanderson toward his own success.

Sanderson attended Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, for pre-med but enlisted in the Navy before finishing his degree. He served for six years, working in nuclear propulsion. After the Navy, he worked as an emergency medical technician for the Navajo Nation and for a chiropractor in Window Rock, who was training Sanderson to take over his clinic.

Sanderson’s tools of the trade also include an automotive hammer, which keeps silver’s high polish during shaping.

However, a trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico, changed his life. “I fell in love,” he confesses, “both with Santa Fe’s art scene and with someone who would give me the gift of my son and daughter.”

The artist demonstrates how he hand-shapes a bracelet to give it a comfortable, sculptural finish.

At the time, Sanderson worked for an Albuquerque company that employed Navajo artisans to create sterling silver with gold overlay jewelry. He became an enthusiastic road salesman, commuting daily from Santa Fe and traveling to other states to conduct business. All the while, his inquisitive mind would see a ring or cuff that one of the artists had created, and he’d ask the jeweler how they made it. Over and over, he asked questions, and over and over, they answered. “The artists were so helpful,” he says. “They freely shared their knowledge with me.”

A propane oxygen flame plays a vital role in silversmithing.

The insight these professional artists shared proved invaluable. For example, Sanderson recalls learning about polishing silver. “A $200 piece with the right polishing can look like a $1,000 piece, or a $1,000 piece with the wrong kind of polishing can look like a $200 piece,” he says.

Sanderson was always dreaming up designs. He would examine a piece of jewelry and think about how he’d make it different, using more silver or forming it into another shape. Or he’d see a necklace that sold for $1,200 with a $50-stone centerpiece, and he’d reimagine it with higher-quality stones or gems. It wasn’t long before he began reading books, taking classes on silversmithing techniques, and making jewelry at night in his kitchen.

The artist melts silver to pour in a casting mold.

Never one to shrink from a challenge, he quit his sales job and set up a home studio in 2001. His years as a salesman would serve him well. “Everyone is a buyer,” Sanderson says. “And even when I got a ‘no’ to a sale, I always thanked the person because every ‘no’ got me closer to a ‘yes.’”

Sanderson then anneals the metal, slowing heating and cooling it, to remove internal stresses.

Today, Sanderson’s award-winning jewelry frequently involves hand-fabricating techniques such as bending, forging, casting, and stamping.

The prestigious Heard Museum awarded him best of show in 2008 for his innovative sterling silver Rubik’s Cube, which displayed six repoussé faces rather than colors for each of the cube’s sides. In addition, Sanderson has been honored with fellowships from the Smithsonian Institution and the Southwestern Association of Indian Arts.

Each of these pliers accomplishes a specific task. Some of these are handmade.

Sanderson handcrafts his jewelry from a 3,600-square-foot studio near the wildly popular Meow Wolf exhibit in Santa Fe. He says the building has been perfect for his business, providing space for more than 20 employees at one time. With high ceilings, the studio is filled with various tools for silversmithing and jewelry-making. Some of the tools Sanderson made, and others are specialty tools he purchased on trips to Europe, Australia, and Asia.

At 1.5 inches wide, these rings emulate baskets. One is 18-karat gold and includes 3 carats of diamonds, and the other is sterling silver. Several years ago, Lady Gaga was seen wearing one of Sanderson’s signature rings, further adding to his rockstar reputation.

Since founding his company, Sanderson reevaluated his production plan and instead of employing many workers, he currently works in his studio with three employees — two jewelers and one who polishes finished items. Sanderson says that with their help, he and his son can create the same number of pieces as when he had 10 employees.

Bobby Stills, a Navajo artist and weaver, created the doll that Sanderson uses to display some of his heavy-gauge sterling silver bracelets and star rings.

Sanderson’s pieces have also segued into a higher caliber of jewelry, incorporating 18-, 22-, and 24-karat gold and platinum. He uses high-end turquoise, diamonds, and other precious gemstones. Recently, he created a ring for a client with a 4-carat diamond with striking blue hues. Sanderson set the diamond in platinum and added another 385 diamonds for a dramatic finish.

Sanderson’s studio offers 3,600 square feet of workspace. “My pieces represent good times and fun,” he says. Celebrities who have worn Sanderson’s designs include A$AP Rocky, Luis Fonsi, J Balvin, Machine Gun Kelly, Jason Momoa, and Sophie Turner.

A colorful painting by Neo-contemporary Navajo artist Randy L. Barton hangs in the artist’s studio.

He says the star-shaped design that helped make him famous came from his son and his son’s mother, who is from Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo. “Her last name is Agoyo, and that’s my son’s middle name. Agoyo means ‘star’ in their Tewa language,” he says. “People love stars. I have the most star motif pieces of any artist I know. I’m identified with anything that looks like a star.”

Besides silver, Sanderson also works in aluminum, copper, stainless steel, and 18-karat gold. Whatever the case, he wants his work to be associated with his happy and charming demeanor and to bring joy into people’s lives.

Always looking ahead, Sanderson plans to expand his oeuvre with watches designed in partnership with a Japanese-based maker of luxury timepieces. He also has plans for handbags, fashion, and furniture.

“All hatted up and nowhere to go. Except back to work,” Sanderson says.

From his beginnings on the Navajo Nation to international acclaim, Sanderson’s journey is a testament to his relentless curiosity and craftsmanship. His work is represented by Dover Street Market in New York City, Sorrel Sky Gallery in Santa Fe, Maxfield in Los Angeles, and online at codysanderson.com.

WA&A senior contributing editor Shari Morrison has been in the business of art for more than 40 years. She helped found the Scottsdale Artists’ School and the American Women Artists and directed the Santa Fe Artists’ Medical Fund for some years.