The Hopi Indians, also called the ‘peaceful ones’, made the American Southwest their home hundreds, probably thousands of years ago. They have also made their own mark with high-quality, beautiful art which illustrates their rich livelihood and history. Hopi Indian jewelry is one among several cherished forms of art that are embraced the world over, and it’s adorned jewelry enthusiasts and artists that appreciate its intricate style. This article brings you the reasons why their jewelry has actually reached way beyond Southwestern borders and is appreciated as one among the most distinctive, beautiful art collections from the Southwest.
Spirituality and beauty
As a people, the Hopi are truly spiritual and creative, and they utilize symbols like feathers, bear paws, and eagles to offer spiritual encouragement and protection. Actually, one of their legends says that the lizard that travels between the above and the below is the one that excretes turquoise, and their miners would carry it along with them as they believed that it gave them strength. They are also of the belief that it holds floods back. Generally, several of these gemstones and symbols that are integrated into the amazing Native Jewelry tell a truly fascinating story concerning their spiritual identity and culture.
Turquoise
Most of the turquoise jewellery that was produced by the Hopi was most probably in the New Mexico and Arizona regions. This why most enthusiasts prefer items from these regions when ordering Hopi Indian jewelry online. Turquoise in the areas is gotten from mines in most cases, and from creeks and lakes in a small number of instances. As turquoise happens to be valued quite greatly in Native American culture, members of the Hopi tribe utilize a truly wide variety of turquoise patterns that provide each jewelry piece with its own individual and distinct style.
Silver overlay
Several Hopi tribesmen became silversmiths together with neighboring tribes and started producing bracelets and necklaces which later began to resemble their work. But that changed when Hopi artists got introduced to silver overlay. The style comprises soldering silver layers with a cutout design and tarnishing it to produce a single silver piece. This provided the Hopi tribe with a signature artistic style that distinguishes their jewelry from the work of other tribes.
Mosaic inlay
This is one other famous style that’s commonly gotten in Native Hopi jewelry. In it, every stone gets placed directly next to or against a contrasting stone. Such designs were further inspired by the late Hopi Indian, Charles Loloma, who got mosaic gems inlaid in gold bracelets during the 70s. His ‘channeling’ strategy or technique, which originates from splitting a stone, getting it pieced back together, then adding other stones around it, also gave Hopi Native jewelry a style that is distinguishable from that of other Southwestern tribes.
The intricate, beautiful designs found in Hopi Indian Jewelry highlight the amazing tribe’s spiritual and cultural connections that have significantly influenced fashion, history, and design. Most of the foremost global galleries support Native Indian works and embrace the authentic, high-quality Hopi art. You can always browse through their collections to find what you love.
