Chip Inlay in Navajo Jewelry: Fragment Mosaic and Tommy Singer's Legacy
Chip inlay — also called fragment inlay — is a technique in which small irregular fragments of turquoise, coral, shell, or other stone are set in a resin or adhesive base within a silver bezel or channel, then ground flush with the surface to create a continuous mosaic from crushed or chipped material. Unlike classic mosaic inlay, where each stone is individually cut to a precise shape, chip inlay uses the natural broken faces of stone fragments, making it faster to produce and allowing use of material too small or irregular for individual bezel setting.
Mateo's Field Notes
Hougart's hallmark guide documents Tommy Singer (1940–2014; Navajo) as the most prominent name associated with the chip inlay style: "Tommy Singer was the entrepreneurial patriarch of bench-line piece work factories of the Navajo Singer families." Singer is described as "a prolific designer and maker of fragment or chip inlay style, and also produced heavy retro-style jewelry." (Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022), ~p. 428) Singer was active from the 1960s through 2014 and is credited in the collector market with popularizing chip inlay as a production technique.
The technique is practical. Turquoise and other stones produce waste fragments when cut for larger pieces; chip inlay finds use for material that would otherwise be discarded. The question collectors ask — "Is it real turquoise?" — is legitimate and the answer is yes, assuming natural stone was used: chip inlay is real turquoise, just crushed rather than cut. The distinction that matters is between natural chipped stone and block stone or dyed howlite, which can be used in the same technique. The crushed material alone does not tell you the material identity; you need documentation or testing.
The Singer family extended the technique across multiple generations. Hougart documents Thomas Atsitty (Navajo) working in chip inlay alongside shadowbox and nugget styles. Jackie Singer (Navajo) is documented in chip inlay, mosaic inlay, and row sets. William Singer (Navajo) in chip inlay and leaf appliqué. Frances Begay (Navajo) in chip inlay. The technique spread broadly through Navajo production jewelry from the 1970s onward, becoming one of the most recognizable styles in the wholesale market. (Hougart 5e, various entries)
The historical relationship between chip inlay and Zuni mosaic is one of adaptation. Where Zuni mosaic tradition required individually cut and fitted stones — a lapidary skill taking years to develop — chip inlay opened stone-in-silver work to artists with metalsmithing skill and access to crushed material, without the same lapidary investment. The corpus does not document a pre-Singer precedent for chip inlay specifically; earlier uses of crushed or irregular stone in silver settings would require physical verification.
Collector's Handbook
- Natural stone vs. block stone. Chip inlay using natural crushed turquoise will show color variation, matrix inclusions, and the occasional natural fracture face. Block stone (compressed turquoise powder in plastic binder) will have a uniform color and feel slightly lighter. Under magnification, block stone often shows a granular binder matrix rather than the irregular crystal faces of natural stone.
- The adhesive layer. In chip inlay, the fragments are secured in a resin or epoxy base before grinding. Over time, adhesive can discolor, shrink, or crack, causing fragments to loosen. Examine the surface under raking light for cracks running through the adhesive between fragments.
- Tommy Singer attribution. Singer's marks (T; T with crescent; SINGER; THOMAS in variations) are documented in Hougart and are sometimes shared across the family workshop. A Singer mark on a chip inlay piece is documented and legitimate; verify the specific mark variant against Hougart before claiming attribution to Tommy Singer specifically.
- Production context. Chip inlay was associated with bench-line production at scale. High-quality individual chip inlay pieces exist, but the technique's commercial history means supply is plentiful. Rarity and price premium should be tied to the specific artist's documentation and mark quality, not the technique name alone.
In the Directory
Tommy Singer (Navajo)
Primary Sources
- Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022). Tommy Singer entry, ~p. 428; Thomas Atsitty, Jackie Singer, William Singer, Frances Begay entries.
Related Entries
Mosaic Inlay · Cobblestone Inlay · Channel Inlay · Zuni Nation · Turquoise Imitations and Fakes