The Navajo Hogan — Southwest Jewelry Shop & Marks

Name-card placeholder — historic shop-mark imagery to follow. © Turquoise Skies Inc.

Silver shop · New Mexico · active mid-twentieth century · Southwest Jewelry Guide

Overview

The Navajo Hogan was a silver shop owned and operated by Carl Luthey. It is documented in Hougart primarily through the artists it employed, most notably the husband-and-wife team of Ramon Platero and Louise Platero, both of whom worked there.

The shop's hallmark is described in Hougart as a stick-figure mark — a stylized human form — used alongside the individual smiths' personal marks. Pieces by Ramon Platero that passed through The Navajo Hogan may be marked "The Navajo Hogan stick figure hallmark" in addition to his own R. Platero mark (personalized letters, sometimes with HANDMADE).

The shop mark

"…He and his wife Louise Platero worked for Carl Luthey's shop, The Navajo Hogan. … Some pieces may also be marked for The Navajo Hogan. Mark: R. Platero (personalized letters, sometimes with HANDMADE. Navajo Hogan 'stick figure' hallmark)" — Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022), entry for Ramon Platero.

The Platero family at the Navajo Hogan

Ramon Platero (Navajo) worked for Carl Luthey's shop, The Navajo Hogan. He was the husband of Agnes Platero and father of Don Platero, and the brother of Dan Platero. His individual pieces carry the R. Platero mark in personalized letters. Some pieces may carry the Navajo Hogan stick-figure stamp alongside his personal mark.

Louise Platero (Navajo), wife of Ramon Platero, is separately documented in Hougart as having worked for The Navajo Hogan. Her mark is L Platero or L. Platero in personalized letters; some pieces may appear with HANDMADE.

Dan Platero (Navajo) was Ramon's brother and father of Don Platero; while not documented at The Navajo Hogan directly, the family context is relevant to attribution questions on unsigned or shop-marked Platero-family pieces.

Collector's note

The corpus on The Navajo Hogan is thin beyond the Platero family connections. No founding date or closure date is recorded in Hougart. Collectors identifying the stick-figure shop mark should cross-reference against Ramon Platero's R. Platero personal mark — the two marks appearing together is the strongest attribution indicator.

References

• Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Entry for Ramon Platero; entry for Louise Platero.