Donavon Cadman – Navajo Silversmith Profile & Hallmark Guide

About Donavon Cadman

Donavon Cadman was born in 1968 in Gallup, New Mexico, and began his silversmithing career in 1991. Rather than being formally taught in a structured lesson-by-lesson way, Donavon learned largely by watching his older brothers Andy, David, and Sunshine work — an observational style of learning that's common in large silversmithing families, where younger siblings absorb technique simply by growing up around the workbench.

Identifying Donavon Cadman's Work

His hallmark is a cursive rendering of his full name: Donavon Cadman.

Family Tradition & Craftsmanship

As one of the youngest of the Cadman siblings to enter silversmithing, Donavon benefited from having several already-established family jewelers to learn from directly, giving him a somewhat accelerated path into confident, independent work once he began stamping pieces under his own name in 1991.

Shop Nativo Arts

Explore our collection of vintage Native American jewelry from the Cadman and Reeves family of silversmiths.