Daniel Coriz

Daniel Coriz was born in 1964 at Santo Domingo Pueblo, known as Kewa, in New Mexico. He is the son of Valentino and Nestoria Coriz, and he learned the trade at home.

His mother is a large part of why. Nestoria Coriz is regarded as one of the finest necklace makers at the pueblo, and she started young herself, learning at six years old from her grandparents Santiago and Trinidad Peña. She picked up silversmithing later, working at a trading post in Albuquerque alongside her father, Lupe Peña. Lupe taught Daniel as well, showing him how to work silver and how to cut, drill, and roll stone into heishi, the fine hand-rolled beadwork Santo Domingo has been known for across centuries of Pueblo trade. Counting back from Daniel to Santiago and Trinidad, that is four generations of the same instruction, given at the workbench rather than in any classroom. His brothers Rodey and Simon work in the tradition too.

Jewelry was never the plan. Daniel first studied electronics, then trained as a registered nurse while serving in the Army Reserve to support his family, making jewelry alongside all of it. The jewelry is what stayed.

What he has become known for is the treasure necklace. Strand upon strand of hand-cut turquoise, coral, spiny oyster, lapis, jet, and shell, layered with small carvings and balanced so the whole thing reads as one piece rather than a gathering of stones. He works Sleeping Beauty and Kingman turquoise among others, and the same eye shows up in his mosaic inlay, where slivers of stone are fitted edge to edge until the seams nearly disappear. His work has taken first place at the Gallup Inter-Tribal Indian Ceremonial and has been featured in New Mexico Magazine.

One of his two sons is learning from him now. That makes five.

Every piece is handcrafted by Daniel himself and is one of a kind.