Ben “Sinahi” San Nicolas del Rosario

Ben “Sinahi” San Nicolas del Rosario is an Indigenous Chamorro/CHamoru cultural artist who specializes in creating traditional CHamoru ornamental pieces and jewelry.

Among Guam’s visual artists, del Rosario has become known as one of the best creators of the sinahi, meaning “new moon,” a replica of an ancient artifact made of giant clam shell.  He has consistently exhibited exceptional skill in shaping, polishing, and then drilling through each end of this dense, brittle material without breaking or chipping it in the process.