| Hopi Jewelry Hopi jewelry styles use a wide variety of designs mostly with religious and tribal symbols, including those concerning beliefs about animals, nature, and their clans. Hopi Indian jewelry is traditionally represented in boxes, buckles, and bracelets of silver cutouts overlaid on a dark background. The Hopi jewelry patterns are taken from traditional pottery and basketwork designs. These are then sawed out of a sheet of silver, and sweat-soldered onto a solid sheet. After shaping, the design is blackened by oxidization to make it contrast with the polished silver. |
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It has an unusual modern effect, and actually has more versatile uses with today's clothes than the Navajo or Zuni Indian silver jewelry. As part of an effort to differentiate Hopi jewelry styles from the Navajo and Zuni, curator's from the Museum of Northern Arizona encourage early silversmith's to try new techniques. World War II delayed their efforts. By 1946, veterans from World War II enrolled in silver smithing classes sponsored by the government which provided them with not only training, but also the tools to work silver effectively. These early students included Victor Coochwytewa, Paul Saufkie and Fred Kabotie who are credited with developing the renowned overlay technique used by the Hopi today. Copyright 2012 Below are examples of today's Hopi overlay jewelry technique. Both are available on necklaces. Click the "Buy Hopi Indian Jewelry" link above: |