Mark Roanhorse Crawford

Mark Roanhorse Crawford was born in Crystal, New Mexico in 1985. He was born into the Towering House Clan and the Water’s Edge Clan. 

Mark’s brothers, Duane and Michael, are both silversmiths, and Mark learned his craft as a young boy by watching his brothers make jewelry. Mark and Michael are both featured in the book, “Silver and Stone: Profiles of American Indian Jewelers.”

Mark excels at the tufa cast technique. He carves intricate designs into tufa, a volcanic stone, and pours molten silver into the cast. Tufa stones often break after a single cast, making each piece a unique work of art. Mark also uses various chemicals to achieve different colors of silver in his pieces. His work is very creative and the designs are ever changing. Mark’s biggest influence with his tufa cast work is his mentor, the award-winning Navajo silversmith, Ric Charlie.

His wife, Alethia Little Crawford, is also a talented silversmith. Her work includes tufa casting and intricate woven silver lattice designs.