About Wilford Begay

Wilford Begay is from the high desert area of Teec Nos Pos, Arizona. His great-great-grandfather was an accomplished silversmith, as is his father. Wilford made his first pair of silver earrings when he was twelve years old, and worked off and on in the jewelry business throughout high school and college. After earning his Silversmithing Certificate, Wilford worked for the Navajo Police in Shiprock, New Mexico, and Chinle, Arizona for four years before going into silversmithing full time. He has won three first place awards in the Gallup Intertribal Indian Ceremonials. Wilford signs his work with a stamped arrowhead.

What is a Wedding Vase?

The Native American wedding vase is used to sanctify a marriage. The two spouts represent the separate lives of the bride and groom. The handle between them represents the joining of the husband and wife on their wedding day. Prior to the wedding, the vase is filled with a liquid that represents the union of the bride and groom. It could be holy water, tea, or brew created by a medicine man. On the wedding day, the groom offers the vase to his wife, and she takes a sip from it. The bride then turns the vase and offers it to the groom so that he can sip out of it. This ceremony is equivalent to the exchanging of wedding bands. In some tribes, if the bride and groom are able to both sip out of the vase at the same time without spilling any liquid, they are destined for a long and happy life together.

About Silver

100% solid silver won't tarnish but it is too soft to use for making jewelry - it could easily be scratched, dented and bent. Sterling silver has a small amount of one or more other metals usually copper, added to the silver. To be called sterling silver, the alloy must contain at least 92.5% pure silver. Sterling silver alloy is harder than pure silver but the added metals also can cause discoloration or tarnish.

Read more about silver.