Hopi Jewelry

The unique style of Hopi jewelry attracts the attention of any wondering eye. The Hopi tribe is a peace-loving group of people who live in the remote highlands northeastern Arizona. Their Jewelry is most well known for its designs and symbols utilizing a silver overlay technique. Overlay is done with two layers of sterling silver. The under layer is usually untouched, while the over layer is manipulated with carvings of intricate designs, the layers are then fused together by heat. Though not the first southwestern Native American tribe to do silver work, this overlay jewellry technique has brought the people much recognition in the Indian jewelry crafting and silversmithing community.

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The Hopi tribe
Hopi Symbols
Overlay Jewelry

The History of Hopi Jewelry

Hopi jewelry historically, much like the jewelry of other Native American Tribes, did not look like it does today. Early jewelry consisted mostly of various beads made of special stones and shells, such as turquoise and coral. It wasn’t until later with the influence of the Spanish did the Hopi people learn about the Christian style metal work using materials such as silver and gold. Unlike other Native American tribes, The Hopi were isolated from the mainstream trade routes in their highland mesa dwellings. This isolation allowed their styles of jewelry to evolve slightly different then other tribes. Their jewelry has slowly evolved from leisure trade with the Zuni pueblo. The Hopi artists became fascinated with the manipulation and utilization of metals. In the 1940’s they began to develop their distinct style of silver overlay. This style today has become very popular and can be seen in all forms of metal art. The jewelry is very successful on the market and sought after by world jewelry enthusiasts.

Designs and Hopi Jewelry Symbols

Hopi Symbols of nature and animals are in essential source for the designs used in their jewelry. Not only are these symbols perfect for silversmiths to use as a basis for patterns on the jewelry they create but many of the shapes have deeper meaning behind them. The symbol indicates a particular attribute which was associated by a specific object in nature. For example the commonly seen wave design represents water symbolically meaning continuous life or rebirth. The Hopi are very spiritual people and their history and culture can be seen in through out these symbols. Other symbols seen on the jewelry which have no significant historical meaning are usually associated with the artist that created it. Hallmarks with are usually stamped on the back can also be seen as part of the design in the jewelry itself.