Singer was a member of the Navajo Nation from Winslow, Arizona. He perfected his craft working in a small studio surrounded by his family and other tribal members on the Navajo Reservation. He won numerous awards and his work is published in well-known books of Indian jewelry. A silver bracelet, created in 2004 is in the collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C.
Thomas learned the art of silversmithing, when he was just 7 years old, from his father Tsinnigine Hathali, a Navajo Medicine Man. Thomas incorporates many traditional sand painting and rug designs of the Navajo people into his jewelry.
In the 1960s, while working with scrap turquoise chips, Tommy pioneered the technique of chip inlay, used by thousands of artists to this day. But he began as a master of the silver overlay method and returned to that method, incorporating gold in his overlay. He was also known for carving storyteller scenes with tremendous detail and skill.
"Every piece is made with the various meanings from my traditional ways - the Navajo way of living. It was my father's dream that I learn to silversmith so that I could continue his beliefs."[1]
He died suddenly in 2014 in a motorcycle accident. His wife Rose Singer continues to make his signature beaded necklaces under the new Hallmark T&R Singer.
