Mary Ann Spencer

Mary Ann Spencer is an award-winning Navajo (Diné) silversmith who has been creating high-end jewelry since the 1980s. Born into a family of talented artists, she learned the craft by watching her mother and has since become one of the most respected names in contemporary Navajo jewelry. Spencer is best known for her “Traditional-Contemporary” style—pieces that utilize 19th-century Navajo design motifs like heavy stamping and “raindrops” but applied to modern, large-scale stone settings.

Based in Gallup, New Mexico, Mary Ann is a perfectionist who hand-selects every stone she sets, often favoring high-grade American turquoise like Royston, Kingman, and Sleeping Beauty. Her work is easily identified by her “M.A. Spencer” hallmark and is highly sought after for its consistent technical quality and its substantial, weighted feel. Today, her jewelry is featured in premier Southwestern galleries and private collections worldwide, representing the enduring strength and evolving beauty of Navajo silversmithing.