Scott Hardy’s commitment to working with silver is as deep as his roots in Western Canada. As a fifth generation stockman, he understands the dedication required to excel. He has been a full time silversmith and engraver since 1981.

Though largely self-taught, Hardy acknowledges the work of modern masters Al Pecetti and Mark Drain, and looks back as well to such turn-of-the-century craftsmen as the artisans at Tiffanys. They have inspired Hardy to give contemporary expression to Classic Western forms.

Hardy has been honored by the Academy of Western Artists, receiving the 2001 Will Rogers Award as Engraver of the Year. In 1994, his work was judged best of show at the 10th Anniversary Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada, and in 1999, he was a founding member of the Traditional Cowboy Arts Association.

In 2006, Hardy was invited to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. to lecture, demonstrate Western silversmithing, hand engraving and represent craftsmen of Alberta.

“Embellishing horse and rider with precious metals is a tradition as old as man has been on horseback,” Hardy Remarks. “Crossing tribal and cultural boundries, silver and gold trappings have expressed the pride of horseman throughout the millennia. The image of a cowboy still stirs our ideals of independence, integrity and freedom, while appreciation of things well-made, by hand, flourishes in this age of mass production and mediocrity.

In addition to the belt buckles and saddle silver that are the traditional heart of his craft, Hardy has also turned his hand to to a wide range of jewelry and other personal items.

Each piece entirely hand-made in sterling and gold, reflects his refined approach to the merging of classing western motifs with non-traditional objects.