Jimmy Poyer

Jimmy Poyer is a Navajo jeweler known for his distinctive inlay work and refined sense of color and design. Born in 1954 in a traditional hogan near what is now Mexican Water, Arizona, Poyer grew up immersed in Navajo culture and lifeways. As a child, the closest trading post was Teec Nos Pos, and he attended the local boarding school until the fifth grade. He later graduated from high school in Shiprock, New Mexico, in 1973 and briefly attended Brigham Young University, though he never studied art formally.

Poyer's entry into jewelry-making was self-directed, driven by a natural sense of aesthetics and an experimental spirit. He began by testing different color combinations of stones, developing a deep appreciation for the visual relationships between natural materials. Though never classically trained, he was strongly influenced by his friend and mentor Jimmie Harrison, a respected master of inlay jewelry. Over time, Poyer developed a signature style characterized by clean, contemporary lines and vibrant channel inlay using turquoise, jet, lapis, spiny oyster shell, coral, and other natural stones.

His jewelry reflects a thoughtful balance between modern design and traditional values. Each piece is entirely handmade—from silverwork to stone cutting—and infused with cultural meaning. One of his most iconic designs features a bear, a powerful symbol in Navajo belief. As Poyer explains, “For us, the bear is like the lion is to Africa. He has authority. He is the king. Bear is the keeper of the mountain. That is his territory. When you go to the mountain you have to ask to go on his sacred homeland.”

Today, Jimmy Poyer lives in Farmington, New Mexico, with his wife Teresa. Together they have six children and enjoy a life rooted in family, ceremony, and tradition. When he’s not working at the bench, Poyer enjoys participating in sweat lodges, squaw dances, and other cultural gatherings that continue to nourish his creative and spiritual life.