Southwest silver is bought and sold constantly and attributed rarely. The mark on the back is often a set of initials with no company behind it, and the usual British-oriented hallmark guides are no help at all.
What to look for
Work from the mark outward: initials or a pictorial device, then STERLING or 925 if present, then any shop or trading-post name. Region matters, because many smiths are recorded against a specific town.
Why dating is different
There is no date letter. Working years come from the record of the individual smith, not from the mark, so an attribution is only as good as the reference behind it.
Recorded Southwest silversmiths
| Maker | Town | Active |
|---|---|---|
| BERNAL NATEWA [Zuni] | ca 1975–2024 | |
| BENSON YAZZIE [Navajo] | Sanders | ca 1990–2000 |
| BENNY RATION [Navajo] | Continental Divide | ca 1980–1990 |
| BENNETT [Navajo, several Artists] | ca 1983–2024 | |
| BENJAMIN BECENTI [Navajo] | Crownpoint | ca 1980–1990 |
| BENALLY BROS [Navajo] | Gallup | ca 1980–1990 |
| BEN YELLOWHORSE [Navajo] | Shiprock | ca 1980–1990 |
| BEN SHILEY [Zuni] | Crownpoint | ca 1990–2000 |
| BEN CHEE [Navajo] | Manueliti | ca 1980–1990 |
| BEN BEGAYE [Navajo] | ca 1970–1990 | |
| BEA JOHNSON [Navajo] | Shiprock | ca 1990–2000 |
| AUGUSTINE LARGO [Navajo] | ca 1990–2000 | |
| ATKINSON TRADING POST - ANDY THOMAS [Navajo] | Scottsdale | ca 1970–1980 |
| ASHBARRY GASPER [Zuni] | ca 1970–1990 | |
| ARTHUR YAZZIE [Navajo] | Steamboat Springs | ca 1990–2000 |
| ARTHUR J. WILLIAMS [Navajo] | Mentmore | ca 1970–1990 |
| ARNOLD GOODLUCK [Navajo] | ca 1970–1990 | |
| ARNOLD BLACKGOAT [Navajo] | Gallup | ca 1990–2000 |
| ANTHONY SKEET [Navajo] | ca 1980–1990 | |
| ANNIE WILLIE [Navajo] | and Sanders | ca 1970–1990 |
| ANNIE CHAPO [Navajo] | Prewitt | ca 1980–1990 |
| ANNA BEGAY | Grants | ca 1980–1990 |
| ANGELA LEE [Navajo] | Prewitt | ca 1974–1996 |
| ANDY CADMAN [ Navajo] | ca 1990–2000 | |
| ANDREW JOHNSON [Navajo] | Shiprock | ca 1960–1980 |
| AMY QUANDELACY [Zuni] | ca 1974–1998 | |
| AM [unknown] | ca 1940–1960 | |
| ALVIN LEE [Navajo] | Prewitt | ca 1990–2000 |
| ALTON Y. BEDONI [Navajo] | Keams Canyon | ca 1980–1990 |
| ALTHEA LATOME [Navajo] | ca 1980–1990 | |
| ALONZO HUSTITO [b.1930 - d.1989, Zuni] | ca 1970–1980 | |
| ALLISON LEE [Navajo] | Mexican Springs | ca 1977–2004 |
| ALLEN KEE [Navajo Indian, cousin of Kenneth Begay] | Scottsdale | ca 1940–1980 |
| ALLEN CHEE [Navajo] | ca 1980–1990 | |
| ALICE QUAM [Zuni] | ca 1970–1990 | |
| ALFRED JOE [Navajo] | Winslow | ca 1970–1990 |
| ALFRED CLEVELAND [Navajo] | Alamo | ca 1980–1990 |
| ALEX GALVIN [Navajo] | Flagstaff | ca 1960–1990 |
| ALBERT McCABE [Navajo] | ca 1975–1990 | |
| ALBERT JAMES BROWN [Navajo] | ca 1980–1990 | |
| ALBERT JAKE [Navajo] | Prewitt | ca 1990–2000 |
| ALBERT & JEANETTE CLEVELAND [Navajo] | Alamo | ca 1990–2000 |
| ADAM FIERO [or FIERRO] [Navajo] | Albuquerque | ca 1980–1990 |
| ADAM & RITA TELLER [Navajo] | ca 1990–2000 | |
| ABRAHAM BEGAY | Scottsdale | ca 1980–1990 |
Look this mark up in the Silver Marks app for the reference photograph, every recorded variant and the full maker record. Free to download.