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A Field Guide to Southwest Jewelry · by Mateo James

Hopi Silver and Overlay: The Technique That Defines a Nation

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Hopi silversmithing is organized around a single technique: overlay, in which two sheets of sterling silver are soldered together, the upper sheet bearing a design cut through it, the lower sheet oxidized black so the cutout appears as bright silver against a dark ground. The technique was developed systematically beginning in 1938 through the efforts of the Museum of Northern Arizona and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board, formalized in the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild founded around 1947–1949, and today remains the defining mark of Hopi silver.

Mateo's Field Notes

Margaret Nickelson Wright's Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing is the primary source for this tradition, written from firsthand interviews with Hopi smiths and their families. The account begins before overlay. The first Hopi silver was patterned after Navajo and Zuni work and was indistinguishable from it—there was no distinctly Hopi technique. Bedinger records that some fine smiths had emerged by the 1930s, but "in general the craft languished" (Bedinger 1973:159–160).

The change came from two directions meeting: the Coltons at the Museum of Northern Arizona, and the Indian Arts and Crafts Board under Commissioner John Collier. Dr. Harold Colton and his wife, Mary-Russell Ferrell Colton—a recognized artist who had studied at the Philadelphia School of Design for Women—moved to Flagstaff in 1926 and began documenting and encouraging Hopi craftwork. In 1938 Mrs. Colton wrote to Kenneth Chapman at the Laboratory of Anthropology, Santa Fe: "There is only one way to make Hopi silversmithing worthwhile, it must be different from any other Indian silversmithing. They must produce Hopi silver, not Navajo, Pueblo, or Zuni. It must be absolutely unique" (Wright, Hopi Silver, quoting Colton letter of December 5, 1938).

The overlay technique that emerged from this program works as follows: the smith draws a design on the top sheet, pierces the interior with a drill, then cuts along the design lines with a jeweler's saw. The cutout top sheet is fluxed and soldered to the solid bottom sheet. After soldering, the lower sheet visible through the cutouts is darkened with an oxidizing compound. The result is a high-contrast silver-and-black composition. Wright defines the technique precisely: "Overlay, as used in Hopi silverwork, is basically a piece of silver with a design cut out of it—a negative design" (Hopi Silver).

The smiths who shaped the technique in its critical years are documented in Wright's hallmark archive. Morris Robinson (Talawytewa) of Bacavi, noted as already familiar with overlay basics, became one of the early practitioners. Paul Saufkie of Shungopavi and Fred Kabotie were the two smiths Bedinger identifies as "leading artists" most moved by the initial Museum of Northern Arizona commission (Bedinger 1973:159). Fred Kabotie was elected secretary-treasurer of the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild when it was formed; his wife Alice served alongside him. Kabotie later became manager of the guild. Charles Loloma, a craftsman from Hotevilla, first turned to jewelry after speaking with Morris Robinson; he went on to incorporate gold, precious stones, and an entirely individual aesthetic that brought Hopi jewelry to international art-market recognition (Wright, Hopi Silver).

The Guild (Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild) is distinct from Hopicrafts—Wright emphasizes this directly, noting the names are easily confused. Hopicrafts was a separate operation; the Guild was the cooperative that standardized training, lent capital to smiths, and built a salesroom. Guild hallmarks are recorded in Wright's appendix and in Hougart (2022).

Collector's Handbook

  • The saw line is the authenticity gate. In genuine Hopi overlay, the interior design edges are cut by a jeweler's saw—they are clean, continuous, and slightly irregular in the way hand-cutting produces. Machine-cast "overlay-look" pieces have rounded, molded-looking interior edges. Under a loupe the difference is unmistakable.
  • The oxidized black ground should be in the recesses, not painted on. Legitimate oxidation lives inside the cutouts; paint or ink applied to a surface is not overlay.
  • Design vocabulary matters for attribution. Hopi overlay draws from clan symbols, kachina figures, migration spirals, and design elements from Hopi pottery and basketry. Non-Hopi overlay using Southwestern motifs generically is common in the commercial market—ask for artist hallmark or Guild documentation.
  • Guild hallmarks and individual artist marks are documented in Wright (2003) and Hougart (2022). Hopicrafts pieces carry their own marks; the Guild's marks are distinct. Wright's appendix is the standard reference.
  • Charles Loloma pieces command significant premiums. His hallmark is documented; forgeries exist. Cross-reference against provenance documentation before acquiring any piece attributed to him.

Signature Techniques

Hopi overlay is the defining Hopi contribution to Southwest silversmithing. Hopi smiths also practice shadowbox work, appliqué (a related but distinct technique in which design elements are built up rather than cut through), and some lapidary stone setting. Stones rarely appear in classic Hopi overlay—the technique is designed to stand in silver alone.

Related Entries

Hopicrafts · Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild

Hopi Silversmiths in Our Directory

33 Hopi artists are documented in the T.Skies Co-Op Silversmith Directory:

Aide Oumyintewa · Andrew Saufkie · Bryson Charles Nequatewa · Charles Loloma · Del Fred Masawytewa · Elliot Koinva · Emery Holmes · Floyd Namingha Lomakuyvaya · Fred Kabotie · Irvin Lomay · Marlin Honhongva · Michael Kabotie Lomawywisa · Morris Robinson · Paul Saufkie · Roy Talaheftewa · Ruben Saufkie · Verma Nequatewa · Watson Honanie and 15 more in our A–Z directory.

Primary Sources

  • Wright, Margaret Nickelson. Hopi Silver: The History and Hallmarks of Hopi Silversmithing. University of New Mexico Press, paperback ed. 2003 (originally Northland Publishing, 1982). Preface; chapters on Important Influences and the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild.
  • Bedinger, Margery. Indian Silver: Navajo and Pueblo Jewelers. University of New Mexico Press, 1973. Pp. 158–160.
  • Hougart, Bille. Native American and Southwestern Silver Hallmarks, 5th ed. (2022).

Related Entries

Navajo / Diné Silversmithing · Zuni Silversmithing · Hopi Overlay Technique · Shadowbox Technique · Field Guide Hub