Joe Chee — Navajo Silversmith
Name-card placeholder — hallmark imagery to follow
Joe Chee — Navajo Silversmith
Overview
Joe Chee (1910–?; Navajo) was active since at least the 1930s–1940s, working in turquoise, coral, stamp work, and set stones — producing bracelets, rings, and najas. He is the younger brother of Marie Chee (1914–1981), who is separately documented in Hougart as a major Santa Fe Navajo silversmith active 1934–1942 and 1945–1970s, working at Southwest Arts & Crafts, Packard's Chaparral Trading Post, and the Wooden Indian Trading Post. Marie Chee's Hougart entry explicitly names Joe Chee as her younger brother.
Joe Chee has his own Hougart entry at approximately line 11462, though the mark detail is partially obscured in the available corpus scan due to OCR artifacts. The readable pattern indicates a mark with "Chee" inside a stylized C form.
The Mark
"Joe Chee (1910–?; Navajo). Active since [1930s–1940s]. Turquoise, coral; stamp work; set stones; bracelets; [mark: Chee inside C]"
— Hougart, Bille. *Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks*, 5th ed. (2022), approx. p. ~11462.
**Note:** The precise mark text for Joe Chee is partially obscured in the Hougart fifth edition corpus at this location due to scanning/OCR artifacts. The readable portion indicates a mark incorporating "Chee" inside a C-form cartouche. The full mark form may be legible in the print edition.
Family Links
- Younger brother of Marie Chee (1914–1981; Navajo) — major Santa Fe silversmith documented in Hougart
- Part of the broader Chee family Navajo silversmithing lineage
References
- Hougart, Bille. *Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks*, 5th ed. Schiffer Publishing, 2022. Entry approx. p. ~11462.
Know more about Joe Chee or the Chee family Navajo silversmithing tradition? Contact T.Skies.