Teddy is a family friend and an outstanding jeweler. This cuff was designed by his wife Ophelia, Teddy cut all the stones for the inlay work. Brenda Blom my mother in law purchased this from Teddy six years ago.
Teddy Draper, Jr., the son of a WWII Navajo "Code Talker" is a holder of many prestigious awards for his art. He is a master of pastels, watercolors, oil painting and traditional and modern design Navajo jewelry. His techniques, constantly refined over thirty years, have grown into a personal style which he attributes to a feeling for "unseen colors." Teddy is renowned for his ability to recreate the drama and special light found in the sunsets of the great Southwest and brilliant depictions of his homeland and the Navajo lifestyle in and around the Canyon De Chelly area. He also holds artists workshops on his special pastel and painting techniques.
In this community on the Navajo reservation, Teddy Draper, Jr. devotes his free time and efforts to the Chinle Youth Athletic Club. Garnering many championships. He enjoys working with the Navajo youth, giving them guidance and inspiration. He encourages the next generation of Navajo artists by teaching them to excel in academics and athletics while retaining their rich culture and traditional values that have sustained the Navajo in their desert homeland for centuries.
Teddy lives near his studio and his DeChelly Gallery with his wife, noted jeweler Ophelia Garcia, in Chinle, Arizona on the rim of the beautiful Canyon De Chelly.