(1963-Present)
Tribal Affiliation: Navajo
In her early teens, Elle learned silversmithing from her older siblings. Her jewelry making is influenced by the antique/vintage Navajo jewelry her brothers and sisters handcrafted in the 1970’s. Elle studied art and design at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona. She received her Bachelors of Fine Arts with an emphasis in jewelry/ metal smithing in 1998. She has taught numerous jewelry/metalsmithing workshops at Community Arts Project in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Being an independent craftsperson allows her to travel and sell her jewelry at various Native American venues and open art markets across the United States. Each September she and her family have a booth at the New Mexico State Fair Indian Village in Albuquerque.
She signs her jewelry with “elle c-j”