Large HARLAN JOSEPH Hopi BELT BUCKLE Grizzly Bear Sterling Silver Overlay

Traditional Hopi Overlay Technique Belt Buckle. 2.9" X 2.0". Will accept a belt of up to 1.6.

47.4 grams = 1.53 Troy ounces. This Buckle was made by a talented Hopi artist. It is properly but small in size! It is also stamped "Sterling", and it is guaranteed to be Sterling Silver. This one is authoritative and powerful.

Joseph uses a Hallmark that represents "Clouds and Pahos" I'm told that Pahos is translated as "Stick". The Grizzly Bear is sawed expertly with one pass. It is a strong but understated Belt Buckle. This buckle is in excellent condition. There are no cracks, dents, or scratches, etc. In the Buckle's Sterling Silver. Hopi Silver and "Overlay Technique". In the book HOPI SILVER... Referenced below, Margaret Wright describes how Hopi silver is made and the post WWII history of its development in particular. She describes the 6 main steps in the creation of Hopi jewelry as we have come to know it. "A tracing design; b sawing design; c soldering design to backing; d texturing background; e filing to remove discoloration; f buffing".

I like her simple description comparing "overlay" to making cookie dough and using a cookie cutter to cut out stars, and then placing one layer of the dough with the cutouts on top of another (without cutouts) and then baking them. This Hopi Buckle was made using the "Overlay" technique, where two sheets of Sterling Silver are fused together. This enabled the artist to create the appearance that the surface had been carved out with the wonderful design that you see in the pictures. You may want to take a look at the textured "Matt" or background area.

For half a century or so, this has almost always been decorated in this subtle way by Hopi artists. I think that this provides an insight into the personality of the artist..

It is simple and elegant. I love Belt Buckles, but have mostly traded and collected Navajo and Zuni Jewelry over the years. So, I'm a bit "out of my element" and have just done the best that I can on researching these buckles. Compact assemblage of Hopi buckles.

As the Navajo say, "Walk in Beauty". I thank You and look forward to sharing a good experience!

"AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY I" - Gregory Schaaf Page. "AMERICAN INDIAN JEWELRY II: M-Z" Page. "HALLMARKS OF THE SOUTHWEST"- Barton Wright - Page. THE LITTLE BOOK OF SOUTHWESTERN SILVER - Billie Hougart Page 174.

"ZUNI JEWELRY" - Theda and Michael Bassman. "ZUNI THE ART AND THE PEOPLE VOLUMES 1-3" - Barbara & Ed Bell- Volume.

"KNIFEWING AND RAINBOW MAN IN ZUNI JEWELRY". "HOPI SILVER THE HISTORY AND HALLMARKS OF HOPI SILVERMAKING" Margaret Wright - Pages. 40-42, 50-54 (general observations about the history of techniques and Hopi Guild formation). The item "Large HARLAN JOSEPH Hopi BELT BUCKLE Grizzly Bear Sterling Silver Overlay" is in sale since Saturday, May 2, 2020. This item is in the category "Jewelry & Watches\Ethnic, Regional & Tribal\Native American\Other Native American Jewelry".

" and is located in Tucson, Arizona. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Denmark, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Czech republic, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Estonia, Australia, Greece, Portugal, Cyprus, Slovenia, Japan, China, Sweden, South Korea, Indonesia, Taiwan, South africa, Thailand, Belgium, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Italy, Germany, Austria, Bahamas, Israel, Mexico, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, Switzerland, Norway, Saudi arabia, United arab emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Croatia, Malaysia, Chile, Colombia, Costa rica, Panama, Trinidad and tobago, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and barbuda, Aruba, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Saint kitts and nevis, Saint lucia, Montserrat, Turks and caicos islands, Barbados, Bangladesh, Bermuda, Brunei darussalam, Bolivia, Egypt, French guiana, Guernsey, Gibraltar, Guadeloupe, Iceland, Jersey, Jordan, Cambodia, Liechtenstein, Sri lanka, Luxembourg, Monaco, Macao, Martinique, Maldives, Nicaragua, Oman, Pakistan, Paraguay, Reunion, Uruguay, Ukraine, Cayman islands.

Featured Refinements: Native American Belt Buckle
Modified Item: No
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Metal Purity: .925
Artisan: Harlan Joseph
Main Stone: No Stone
Metal: Sterling Silver
Jewelry Type: Belt Buckles
Tribal Affiliation: Hopi