Hopi

Hopi Silver Overlay

Hopi overlay — the technique of cutting designs from one silver sheet and soldering it atop a second, oxidized sheet — emerged in the 1940s through the Hopi Silvercraft Cooperative Guild as a deliberate effort to create a Hopi-specific jewelry identity distinct from Navajo silversmithing. Clan symbols including bear paw, rain cloud, and migration spiral encode cultural narratives in silver, with stylistic distinctions between Second Mesa and Third Mesa workshops reflecting the artistic diversity within Hopi culture.