About the Artist

(Born 1943) Richard and Rita Begay, husband and wife, collaborate on their jewelry, stamping their work with "R B". Their work is discussed at length in Gregory Schaaf's book American Indian Jewelry I. The collections including their jewelry include the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC and the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona.

"Richard Begay is a master of mosaic, channel inlay and stamp work. He was perhaps the first to do "double layered inlay" and inlaid "storyteller" bracelets. . . "the perfect harmony of material and craft" was a comment made by Tom Chaney of Tanner Chaney Gallery about work of these two fine jewelers.