Hi I just found this in a community free store and I feel so grateful that it found me! I have id’s it as Hopi Overlay but as for the age, makers mark, value and anything else I have no idea…I was thinking maybe Hopi Craft guild but I can’t seem to match up the mark to anything completely…it kinda reminds me of a horse and/or an upside down JHJ but with the second J right side up! I also would like to know what the symbolism they used is.
Thanks to all! I can’t wait for this piece to have a story!
Yours Truly,
Stefanie
An amateur myself, it looks like the HopiCraft shop symbol to me.
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What a find. Very lovely, the cresents and dark oxide are very well done. So many 3 piece silver neacklaces fall short. This is marvelous, great flairs on sides. Just a very well informed possibility, I am seeing the Hallmark, HL . I have spent my lifetime admiring signed works of all kinds on all sorts of items, I myself signed JD, with a J and a reversed C connected to the top of the Capital J if that makes sense. This hallmark reminds me of that, and many others I’ve seen. I call it a hallmark with a bit of style. Lovely find. I do not wish to alarm or concern tou, however often times Taxco Silver, ( Taxco Mexico ) is confused for Native American. That I do not think is the case here, I mention it only because I have looked for a Native American Ring Hallmark, to find I should of been looking for a Taxco Hallmark. Hope any of this info helps someone somehow. I hope you find the hallmark. I will give it a shot when I have bit more time. Bartleby
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That was great JC! Aka Bartleby…I definitely will use that info in the future…btw what do you make? I actually think I have this one figured out, I think it could be Steven Sockyma…but I don’t really know anything else about him besides the hopi reference…what do you think?
Thank you for checking this out!
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My knowledge of Hopi is limited but after looking at his work you might be onto something. The chain is very Native, like that as well. Funny thing is I now see all 3 hallmarks, I was looking in the middle! On the left as well as right I see a JH with a florish perhaps, middle HL. No Mexican Silver stamps so Native not Taxco. The lack of a silver stamp means it may very well be older than one might originally think, that and the chain. My " Harvey Era ", Native American from 1930s,40s is a absolute mystery, but I adore them. One thought, as u most likely know many native Husband and Wife jewelry makers existed and exist. I can’t nail it down, but I know one thing, it’s a great piece!
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Jessy Josytewa. Check B Wright’s Hallmarks of SW p 89. Do I win the piece?
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Hi TryingToLearn, I would love it if you could take a pic and post it of the mark on page your talking about or maybe a little drawing of the Hallmark your talking about since I don’t have those books???
I too thought Jessy Josytewa at first…but his mark isn’t quite the same its more of a single J plus something else…instead of a JHupside down J… like on my piece but I haven’t seen your picture of the mark your referring to and Jesse did change his marks throughout his career…I’m starting to think its more of an SS (offset) on the left panel, an HC hopi craft mark on the middle panel, and a less distinguished mark just like the left panel but it looks like they didn’t get as much of a bite into the silver with the entire stamp that time…which makes me think its Steven Sockyma? The other things that tell me this are the style of the Chasing marks which are also evident on the back of the piece, the fact that the silver is obviously sterling but not marked which means its an earlier 60’s/70’s piece for either artist, the style of the chain and hook, and the wave style (more particularly how the line of the wave is pierced into the sheet, which references the drawing style of the artist and if you look they all are a little bit different with their drawing style between artists when you compare how they draw typical hopi symbols)…I love this piece…what it could be worth I’m not sure…it’s certainly a great piece and I do wear it…a lot!
Thank you for engaging in some conversation about it. Thank you to Bartleby as well! I really love a good discussion about the amazing work that is on this forum. I hope we can keep it up!
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To my eye, there’s no question it’s the same. I would assume it is derived from his tribal affiliation and his initials.
So NOW do I win the piece???
-TTL
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Wow by any chance is their a spot in there with Steven Sockyma’s marks too because they have almost identical marks except that the second J, the upside down one isn’t as long as the one side of the H its subtle but it’s a clue and Ill give you a link to reference…this is soooo cool and interesting;?)
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If you look at the hallmark from the bracelet by turning the image 90 degrees to the left, you can see it is a conjoined SS. If you look at your hallmark, it does not!
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