Lee Epperson is one of the major contemporary silversmiths in North America working in the Southwestern style. His sterling silver jewelry and pottery are unique in design and fabrication, demonstrating a deep three-dimensional look with great detail, sharpness, and clarity. As a native Cherokee American from Arizona, Epperson draws his inspiration from the cultural and artistic heritage of the Southwest, a heritage which is celebrated and honored in his silver jewelry and other silver objects.

Originally trained and educated as a mechanical engineer, Epperson's artistic career began with painting and watercolor before experimenting with sculpture, and the captivating effect of sculpting in metal was the motivating factor in his taking the next step to making jewelry in 1973 and later other silver products such as his sterling miniature art pottery

His exquisite art pottery, boxes, and containers will always surprise collectors and connoisseurs by revealing inlaid designs of semiprecious stones adorning the inside, the bottom, or underneath the lid, in formations of signs and symbols which not only communicate with you, but also put you in touch and in communication with the distant past and the creative ancestors of the culture he celebrates.

Epperson's jewelry reflects his skills as a silversmith and a lapidarist in innovative designs and artistic interpretations which skillfully and creatively integrate the metal with semiprecious stones and materials such as turquoise, coral, lapis, and sugalite. He produces a broad range of jewelry and accessories, including earrings, bracelets, necklaces, pins and pendants, belts and belt buckles, tie tacks and bolos.

His work is collected internationally, and he has been a recipient of numerous awards and featured in several publications such as the Lapidary Journal and the book "Collectible Sterling Jewelry Identification and Value Guide" by Fred Rezazadeh. He was also featured in several articles in Rock & Gem Magazine, which credited him with discovering the "revolutionary technique of completely eliminating" fire scale, a reddish or black scale formed on the surface when sterling silver is heated and cooled.