Detailed Craftsmanship of Watson Honanie Hopi Jewelry

Best known for his gold and silver overlays, Watson Honanie creates stunning pieces of jewelry that portray the Hopi culture and their ceremonial life. He was encouraged and inspired to take on jewelry making by his two uncles, Porter Timecheand and Fred Kabotie. Both had strong associations with the Hopi Silvercraft Guild. Watson began making jewelry at an early age. He began working on his novice skills and techniques utilizing scrap silver that his uncles, the guild members would give him. The first pieces of jewelry he made were mostly earrings. He learned overlaying, the technique which he is best known for, from his brother. Watson apprenticed and worked at the Silvercraft Guild for a couple of years before deciding to venture out on his own.

When the price of silver got too high in 1979, Watson went back to using scraps, not to make jewelry but to craft small kachinas.  In the following years, Watson returned to jewelry making and began building his reputation as one of the most talented and skilled Hopi overlay artists. Although, Watson has been creating amazing jewelry since 1972, his work with gold did not start until 1985. It proved to be a huge step into the world of global collectability and recognition. Today, Watson Honanie is well recognized for his distinctive and elegant silver and gold work.

Watson is in the elite circle of well-recognized jewelers who has gained many accolades in the past years. In 1992, his concho belt with coral, silver, and gold overlay won first place and was awarded the Best of Division at the extremely competitive Santa Fe Indian Market.

Collecting handmade Native American jewelry can be very rewarding, especially when the pieces you purchase are made by well-recognized artists such as Watson Honanie. If you are searching for quality Hopi and Navajo jewelry, choose a company that ensures quality products and offers wide selections from highly respected jewelry makers.

Stunning Jewelry Collection by Jennifer Curtis

A sixth generation silversmith from Arizona, Jennifer Curtis was taught by her father, Thomas Curtis Sr., an award-winning Navajo silversmith. She was born and raised on the Navajo reservation and she grew up hanging around her father’s work-bench, giving him a hand with the buffing, filing, and polishing of his exquisite pieces. This opened her mind and heart to the art of making jewelry. Some of Jennifer’s design inspirations come from her grandmother’s weaving and from the Arizona landscape in which she grew up.

Jennifer was in her 20s when she decided to take jewelry making more seriously. She drew upon the traditional styles, but developed a more contemporary look, incorporating traditions of stamping, hand-hammering and heavy-gauge metal use with intricate bezel work and elegantly simple designs.

Jennifer Curtis Jewelry’s best designs are of silver vessels and wine goblets, along with intricate bracelets and stunning rings. Her distinctive style shines in her buckles, rings, bolos, concho belts and earrings. Just recently, Jennifer introduced gold and inlay work to her designs and style. Her influences come from her father and from other seasoned Navajo jewelers like Raymond Yazzie and Billy Betoney, along with Hopi jeweler, Sonwai. Jennifer has earned great respect for herself in the jeweler world, dubbed as “the best woman jeweler of today.” She has perfected the same intricate and precise hand stamping technique that her father is known for, adding a touch of feminine elegance to the impeccable technique. An award-winning jewelry artist herself, Jennifer exhibits her work at the yearly SWAIA Santa Fe Indian Market, among many venues.

Collecting handmade Native American jewelry of the highest quality is fun and rewarding, especially when these unique pieces are crafted by the most skilled and recognized jewelers in the market. Buy your collectibles only from trustworthy sources online to make sure that you are getting authentic pieces from well-recognized artists in the Native American jeweler scene. These online sources should offer certificates of authenticity as well as guarantees of the quality and authenticity of their products.