Julian Lovato
Julian Lovato (1922-2018) was born on the Santo Domingo (Kewa) Pueblo to a family of traditional bead makers. His father and grandfather worked with turquoise, coral, and shell to make necklaces for ceremonial use and as trade goods to sell to other pueblos and tribes in the southwest. The life long resident of Santo Domingo Pueblo began crafting his exceptional and unique jewelry in 1948, working as an apprentice under famed Italian artist Frank Patania at the Thunderbird Shop in Santa Fe, NM, where he began to develop a sense of refined elegance and modernism.
Lovato combined tradition and innovation and his life long passion for using only the highest grade materials available continued throughout his career. Utilizing ever changing designs and exceptional quality stones he created in a three dimensional look which he called “raised dimensional jewelry design.” He is one of the most highly regarded pueblo jewelers of the 20th century.