Most artists make a hero.
Francis Jones made witnesses.
There isn’t a single figure here asking to be the center of attention. Instead, every Guardian Yei stands shoulder to shoulder beneath the protection of the Rainbow Guardian, each one carrying a small part of a responsibility too large for any single figure to hold alone.
That’s what stopped me when I first picked it up.
The centerpiece isn’t the point.
It’s the destination.
Your eye begins at one small guardian and slowly walks the necklace, meeting another… then another… then another… until, almost without realizing it, you’ve arrived before the great central Yei. By then you understand why he’s larger.
He isn’t leading them.
He’s standing with them.
Francis Jones had an extraordinary gift for turning silver into rhythm. Every repeated form feels like another heartbeat, another footstep, another voice joining the same song. The hand-finished Navajo pearls soften the architecture, while the open Rainbow Guardian forms create space for light to pass through the necklace, making the entire procession feel alive as it moves.
Nothing feels crowded.
Nothing feels accidental.
The necklace breathes the same way a ceremony does—measured, deliberate, and full of purpose.
That may be why Francis Jones’ Guardian Yei work has become so beloved among collectors. It isn’t simply beautiful silversmithing. It captures something much harder to create.
The feeling that protection was never meant to come from one guardian.
It comes from all of them.
Artifact Registry
Artifact: The Rainbow Keeps Watch
Maker: Francis Jones
Tribe: Navajo (Diné)
Materials: Sterling Silver
Motif: Guardian Yei protected by the Rainbow Guardian
Construction: Hand-fabricated sterling silver with hand-made Navajo pearls
Length: 28 inches
Weight: 169 grams
Collector’s Gallery Value: $5,200–6,200
Estimated value for a comparable Francis Jones Guardian Yei necklace offered through a premier Southwestern gallery or specialist Native American art dealer. Monumental examples with this many articulated Yei figures are among his most desirable works.
Curator’s Field Observation
Rather than relying on a single dramatic centerpiece, Jones creates movement through repetition. The procession of Rainbow Guardian Yei figures gradually builds toward the monumental central guardian, creating one of the strongest examples of narrative architecture found in contemporary Navajo jewelry.
Eric’s Notes from the Field
I’ve handled a lot of Francis Jones pieces over the years, and this is exactly why collectors chase his work.
Every Yei could have been made as its own pendant.
Instead, he chose to build a community.
That’s a much harder thing to pull off. Every figure has to be strong enough to stand on its own while still contributing to something larger. As your eye travels the necklace, you start to realize you’re not looking at repeating links.
You’re watching a procession.
By the time you reach the center, it doesn’t feel like you’ve found the main character.
It feels like you’ve arrived.
Most artists make a hero.
Francis Jones made witnesses.
There isn’t a single figure here asking to be the center of attention. Instead, every Guardian Yei stands shoulder to shoulder beneath the protection of the Rainbow Guardian, each one carrying a small part of a responsibility too large for any single figure to hold alone.
That’s what stopped me when I first picked it up.
The centerpiece isn’t the point.
It’s the destination.
Your eye begins at one small guardian and slowly walks the necklace, meeting another… then another… then another… until, almost without realizing it, you’ve arrived before the great central Yei. By then you understand why he’s larger.
He isn’t leading them.
He’s standing with them.
Francis Jones had an extraordinary gift for turning silver into rhythm. Every repeated form feels like another heartbeat, another footstep, another voice joining the same song. The hand-finished Navajo pearls soften the architecture, while the open Rainbow Guardian forms create space for light to pass through the necklace, making the entire procession feel alive as it moves.
Nothing feels crowded.
Nothing feels accidental.
The necklace breathes the same way a ceremony does—measured, deliberate, and full of purpose.
That may be why Francis Jones’ Guardian Yei work has become so beloved among collectors. It isn’t simply beautiful silversmithing. It captures something much harder to create.
The feeling that protection was never meant to come from one guardian.
It comes from all of them.
Artifact Registry
Artifact: The Rainbow Keeps Watch
Maker: Francis Jones
Tribe: Navajo (Diné)
Materials: Sterling Silver
Motif: Guardian Yei protected by the Rainbow Guardian
Construction: Hand-fabricated sterling silver with hand-made Navajo pearls
Length: 28 inches
Weight: 169 grams
Collector’s Gallery Value: $5,200–6,200
Estimated value for a comparable Francis Jones Guardian Yei necklace offered through a premier Southwestern gallery or specialist Native American art dealer. Monumental examples with this many articulated Yei figures are among his most desirable works.
Curator’s Field Observation
Rather than relying on a single dramatic centerpiece, Jones creates movement through repetition. The procession of Rainbow Guardian Yei figures gradually builds toward the monumental central guardian, creating one of the strongest examples of narrative architecture found in contemporary Navajo jewelry.
Eric’s Notes from the Field
I’ve handled a lot of Francis Jones pieces over the years, and this is exactly why collectors chase his work.
Every Yei could have been made as its own pendant.
Instead, he chose to build a community.
That’s a much harder thing to pull off. Every figure has to be strong enough to stand on its own while still contributing to something larger. As your eye travels the necklace, you start to realize you’re not looking at repeating links.
You’re watching a procession.
By the time you reach the center, it doesn’t feel like you’ve found the main character.
It feels like you’ve arrived.
